Queen of Hearts
by anthfan
Summary: The pregnancy trope. Felicity finds herself pregnant, but her and Oliver can't remember how it happened.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here is, yet again, another trope that got away from me. This is the pregnancy trope. Lots of people have asked for this one and I was hesitant to tackle it because, let's face it, it's the tropiest trope of all the tropes in the existence of tropes. And it is rarely done well. But someone (so sorry I don't know who!) suggested the idea that Felicity gets pregnant but her and Oliver don't know it's happened. That intrigued me. So much like 'Once and Future Queen' I've decided to take a crack at this one and do it right. I have a feeling it's going to be a long one. I hope no one minds. **

**Thanks to my ladies for their general support and enthusiasm with this story. **

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

Felicity Smoak was pregnant.

It took Oliver eight long weeks to figure it out.

It took Felicity nine.

_Two months earlier:_

The Count was back. They didn't know how, but it didn't seem to matter. The Glades were ripe for what he did best. More people willing to deal his trade for the small amount of cash in hand it would bring them, and more people willing to look to a small pill to escape their reality.

Except this one was worse than Vertigo. It completely stripped inhibitions, usually leading to actually stripping; and more. Arrests for lewd and lascivious behavior and indecent exposure had skyrocketed since the drug had hit the streets.

They'd infiltrated an underground club where they knew he was dealing. Their only purpose that night was to gather intel and for Felicity to plant a piggyback on their router to see if she could hack his system.

It was only supposed to be her going in with Oliver and Digg outside as backup if necessary. When she'd missed her check in, Oliver had gone after her despite Digg's protest that he'd be recognized. He snatched a baseball cap off a stoned kid as he walked in and flipped up the collar of his jacket. It would have to do. He didn't think twice as he let the bouncer at the door press a stamp on the back of his hand.

That was his first mistake.

He spotted Felicity after only a few minutes, her clubbing clothes leaving little to the imagination. She gave him a wink and walked right by like she'd never seen him before. He followed her out when it wouldn't look suspicious. His motorcycle was stashed around the corner and Felicity had gotten into the car Digg had waiting nearby.

She was quiet when they got back to the lair. Digg begged off early and Oliver let him go with a smile and a nod.

That was his second mistake.

Ten minutes later Felicity was in nothing but a bra and mini-skirt as she straddled him in her desk chair.

He'd missed the signs. She'd been sweaty and slightly breathless, and kept looking over at him until Digg left, but he had just chalked it up to end of mission nerves and nothing else. Now, he had a lapful of blonde genius and didn't know where to put his hands.

What Oliver had failed to notice was that he too had been staring back, restless, and unable to keep his thoughts from wandering to just how long her legs were.

That was his third mistake.

His final rational thought was that they'd both somehow been dosed at the club and he shouldn't be kissing her.

Oliver woke up in his own bed when the alarm blared with a raging headache and no memory of how he ended up back at his house. He lay still in the darkened room trying to piece together the night before. The last thing he remembered was going into the club to find Felicity.

A quick check of his phone showed nothing out of the ordinary. With a groan he pushed himself to his feet and made his way to the shower.

Thirty minutes later he was sliding into the back seat of the car as Digg held the door open.

When he was behind the wheel Oliver leaned forward. "What would you say if I told you I don't remember anything about last night after we were at the club?"

Digg's head tilted imperceptibly but his eyes never left the road. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't remember going back to Verdant. I don't remember if we got what we needed. I don't remember going back to my house." The reality of what he was admitting suddenly struck him. "Is Felicity okay?"

"You were both fine when I left. We got back to the lair, Felicity did her thing and you both said you'd get yourselves home. That's the last I know."

Oliver sat back with an exhale, one hand scrubbing over his close cropped hair. "I think I got dosed."

"With the new drug?" Digg's concern was evident.

"We know it causes memory loss," Oliver replied, voice hard.

"But you didn't take any pills."

"No, there must be some other way to get it into the system." His fist clenched against his knee in frustration at not knowing what had happened to him.

"You were only in there ten minutes, how could you have been dosed?" Digg asked.

"I don't…" Oliver trailed off as he looked down and saw the faint outline of the stamp he'd received as he'd entered the club. It had stubbornly refused to wash off in the shower.

"It's the stamp. He put the drug in the ink and everyone who went into that club got hit." Oliver was already pulling his phone out to call Felicity as Digg hung a hard right and changed his route without asking.

Her phone went straight to voicemail, making his heart seize as his mind cycled through every horrible scenario possible.

When the car pulled to the curb in front of her building, he was out before Digg had it in park. He didn't bother with the elevator as he sprinted up the five flights and tore down the hallway to her door.

Oliver didn't care how loud his pounding was, he needed her to open the door and be safe on the other side. Just as he was about to break it down he heard locks shifting and then she was standing in front of him, a confused expression on her face.

"Oliver? Uh...sorry, I mean, I know I'm running late this morning but…" She stopped talking as he pushed through and took her by the shoulders, Digg arriving right behind him.

"Are you okay?" His voice was low and intense and he saw the immediate shift in her eyes as she realized something was off.

"I'm fine...I woke up with a horrific headache and feeling like I'd had a double training session with Digg but...why are you here? You're actually kind of scaring me."

Oliver let her go and walked into the living room as Digg shut the door behind him.

"What's going on?" Her voice quavered a bit and he turned to take her in. The sound of the running shower made it through to him as did her wet hair and the bathrobe clinging to her.

"Let me see your hand," he said gently, not wanting to scare her any more.

She quirked a brow at him but did as he asked. He took her hand in his and turned it over, his thumb running along the pale skin but not seeing anything. "Did you get a stamp at the club last night?"

"Yeah," she said quickly, and pulled her hand back before holding the other one out. Just along the edge of her knuckle he could see the faint outline of the ink.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath and turned to look at Digg.

"What? What's wrong?" Felicity asked, head whipping between the both of them so fast tiny droplets of water flew from the ends of her hair.

"He put the drug in the ink. Everyone who went into the club was hit," Oliver explained.

Felicity's mouth fell open in shock. "But...I don't…" her brows furrowed and he could see her try and remember the previous night.

"Oh my god, I don't remember...anything!" The fear she felt was palpable and Oliver only realized he still had hold of her hand when she squeezed it tight.

"Felicity, it's okay. Digg said we got back to the lair and seemed fine when he left. And you clearly got back to your apartment," he explained, hoping to lessen her anxiety.

"You were there! You got it too!" she exclaimed, letting go of his hand grabbing his other, flipping it so she could do the same inspection he'd just finished.

"I woke up at my place with a headache, but that's it."

She stepped back some and wrapped an arm around her middle. "Do you think we're okay?"

Digg stepped forward, "All the reports have said it's out of the system in less than eight hours. Hits hard, hits fast, but that's it."

She nodded as he spoke, "Well that's good then. I mean, some of those news reports and police records...wow. I guess we got off lucky." She gave them tight smiles and glanced down at the puddle she'd dripped on her floor. Cheeks flushed she looked back up. "Hope it's okay with the boss if I'm a little late."

"I think you're safe," he told her with a grin, just glad she was fine.

"Do you want a ride?" Digg asked.

"Nope, I'm good. I won't be half an hour behind you. You've got that investor meeting at ten, but finance is setting it up, so don't forget." She waggled her finger at Oliver as she made her way back towards her bathroom.

The rest of the day went as expected. So did the rest of the week. Other than the headache he'd had when he'd woken up, he'd had no side effects from the drug and neither had Felicity.

The tech she'd planted had led them to the Count's next big shipment, which they'd been able to pass on to the SCPD and with the help of the Arrow put the man away where he belonged.

Oliver had all but forgotten about the night he couldn't remember until two weeks later. He'd limped back into the lair, leg aching from where it had been hit by a member of the Triad. Blood was running down the inside of his pants and he knew stitches would be necessary.

Digg was still on his way back so it was Felicity who had rushed to his side and helped him over to the table. He'd given her an apologetic look as he'd stripped down to his boxers, trying to ignore the flush that crept up her neck as she'd turned quickly and busied herself gathering supplies.

When she'd turned back he'd pushed himself back, leg outstretched. He expected her to hand him the gauze squares and antiseptic but the wound was far enough around he would have had a hard time reaching it.

She pressed down hard to stem the bleeding, her other hand laying unknowingly on his knee. He looked down at the contact and a flash of pain went through his head. With a gasp he pressed against his temple as he suddenly saw an image of her hand on his leg trailing up and down slowly, except it felt more like a memory. He shook his head fiercely and as quickly as it had hit him, it was gone again.

Felicity had come to his shoulder and was looking at him with concern, asking him if he'd hit his head too. He'd assured her he was fine but she looked at him like she didn't believe him.

The flashes continued. He didn't mention them to Felicity or Digg and he'd gotten good at hiding his reaction. Different things seemed to trigger them, but something he'd figured out quickly was that they were centered around Felicity: her hand on his arm, the scent of her shampoo, the way she pressed into his side in a crowded elevator, they had all triggered immediate, intense images of the two of them.

What Oliver hesitated to consider was if they weren't just images, but if they were memories instead. He couldn't go there however, because the last one he'd had, a month after that night at the club, was a flash of Felicity naked underneath him, head thrown back as he'd pushed into her.

He wrote it off as spending all day and all night with her coupled with a long dry spell. He couldn't deny his attraction to her. She was the closest woman in his life. She knew everything about him and had chosen to stay instead of running away. He'd been drawn to her since Walter had directed him to her office a year and a half ago. But anytime his thoughts had strayed to acting on those feelings, he'd shut them down. He couldn't risk losing her.

As he studied her through the glass walls of his office he knew he'd keep a tight rein on his emotions. He didn't have a choice.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you! The response to the first chapter has been amazing! I'm so glad everyone is excited, I am too! And thanks for the support and faith that I'll do this one justice. It's tricky, for sure. No pressure! **

**Thanks again to my ladies! Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

Six weeks after their night under the influence, he began seeing changes in Felicity's behavior. He'd looked up from his desk more than once to see her half asleep in her chair, hand propping up her chin or leaning back, head tilted to the side. He'd meant to ask her if she wanted some time off but a new threat entered the city and they spent the next week working almost around the clock. When she fell asleep in the car after work, head coming to rest on his shoulder, he didn't think twice about it.

The flashes he'd been getting seemed to be subsiding although he'd had one very vivid dream he'd woken up from that had left him cursing his alarm. He didn't know what to make of them. They felt real, like memories, not dreams, not fantasies, but he also knew if he'd done the things he'd seen in the images with Felicity he would have remembered.

Felicity was late that morning, although she'd sent him a text apologizing and telling him she was on the way. The woman who stumbled through the glass door to her desk was not the one he was used to seeing.

Oliver was out of his seat and halfway across his office before she sat her bag down.

Her blue eyes stood out starkly against her pale face and she barely glanced at him as she made her way to her chair.

"Why are you here?" he blurted out as he approached. Her movements were slow and purposeful as she pulled her phone out and sat it on the desk before stowing her bag in a drawer.

"I work here Oliver, as your highly overqualified secretary, remember?" Even though she'd long since gotten over her initial anger at her promotion, she still liked to tease him on occasion, except her voice was flat and there was no spark to her.

He pulled her chair back before she could reach for the keyboard, and didn't miss how her hand pressed hard against her mouth at the sudden motion.

Her eyes went wide and she pushed him out of the way as she made a mad dash for his private bathroom. He followed her on instinct, just managing to grab her ponytail before it swung in front of her face as she dropped to her knees at the toilet.

He winced as he listened to her dry heave and passed her several towels to wipe her face. She sat back with a shaky sigh as she blindly fumbled with the handle in an attempt to flush. He did it for her as she groaned and kept her eyes shut.

"Fabulous. This is just fabulous. I mean...I might be sitting on imported Italian marble in front of a toilet brought in from Switzerland, but you...you had to be there to hold my hair back." She was even paler now, if that was possible, and he could see the fine sheen of sweat that had broke across her skin.

"Felicity, you're obviously sick. You need to go home." He already had his phone out texting Digg to pull the car into the parking garage.

"I'm not going to argue with that," she said weakly, and tried to push herself up.

Oliver jumped forward, and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him as he stood. She swayed slightly, her forehead coming to rest against his lapel and he gritted his teeth as he was assaulted with another flash.

This one was stronger and longer than the others. They were in the lair, on the couch, her blonde hair spilled across the green leather as he ran his hands up her waist and covered her breasts. Her fingers trailed over his chest, skipping over and around his scars, like she was committing them to memory. His hips pushed forward and she cried his name.

"Oliver!"

He startled and looked down to see Felicity standing back from him some, his hand resting along her lower back as she stared up at him.

"Sorry. Digg's going to bring the car around. He'll take you home," he said quickly, hoping she didn't question him. The image? The memory? It was too heavy in his mind for him to ignore just then.

"Okay, sorry, I never get sick. I don't know where this came from," she said with a sheepish look as she pulled away from him and went to get her things.

"It's a light day," he said as he followed her out, trying to keep his distance. He didn't need another flash that real while she was in front of him.

"I'll be in tonight, don't worry," she promised as she slipped her bag over her shoulder, some of the color returning to her cheeks.

"No. Not if you're not up to it," he objected, but she just gave him the look that said she'd do what she wanted and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

His phone chimed and he glanced to see that Digg was ready. "Come on, I'll walk you down."

"You don't have to," she protested, and then it was his turn to give her a look of his own.

With a sigh, she walked out the door he held open. She reminded him of the meetings he had scheduled and who he was supposed to have lunch with as they rode down in the elevator. But halfway there she stopped talking in the middle of a sentence.

Oliver turned sharply to see her eyes shut, leaning back against the railing as she tried to take deep breaths in through her nose.

"We're almost there, and there's a restroom right around the corner…" he began, stopping abruptly as her hand clamped down on his suit jacket. She pitched forward and for a moment he thought she was going to be sick on his shoes.

He took hold of her shoulders and let her lean on him as she tried to keep her angry stomach under control. When the car slowed to a stop he reached out a quick hand to keep the door closed.

"You good?" he said quietly and waited until she stood up straight and pushed loose hair out of her face.

"Yeah, sorry," she mumbled, eyes only half open.

He slid an arm around her waist and opened the door, ignoring the looks he knew they were receiving as he led her to the parking garage.

"Steps or the elevator again?" he asked when they were in the blessedly empty hallway.

"Steps," she said with a gulp, gripping his hand where it rested on her hip as they made their way slowly down the stairwell.

When they reached the bottom she didn't seem so shaky. Digg looked over her with concern but she waved him away. "I'm fine. Just a stomach bug."

Digg's eyes locked on his as he made his way around to the driver's side. Oliver waited until he'd opened the door and helped Felicity inside before he had a silent conversation with his partner.

Take her home, and let me know how she is.

Digg climbed in and Oliver leaned into the interior to speak to her. She looked half asleep already and he couldn't stop himself when he reached in and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Don't come back until you're well. And let me know if you need anything," he ordered.

He could tell she wanted to roll her eyes at him but didn't want to risk it.

"Okay," she said in a whisper that worried him more than anything. He hesitated, wondering if he should go with her. Before he could say anything both their phones chimed with a calendar reminder.

"Meeting. In the conference room in five minutes. Better hurry," she said.

"Call me," he said, in a voice that brooked no argument.

She nodded once and he reluctantly shut the door, banging the roof twice as Digg drove away.

His day dragged on, his eyes constantly going to his phone to see if Digg had contacted him again after dropping her off. When he was at his desk he found himself looking through the glass wall at her empty chair. At four he gave up and left for the day.

He headed straight to the lair, hoping to spend time training to get his mind off of her. She filled his thoughts almost constantly now and he didn't want to ask himself why that was.

When he arrived he expected the lights to be off, but they weren't.

"Felicity," he called out as he hurried down the stairs, fully prepared to berate her for coming in if she was still sick.

He stopped short, dropping his suit jacket over the back of her desk chair as he looked around and didn't see her anywhere.

Her bag was on the floor and her phone lay dark by the center keyboard so he felt fairly certain that she was there.

He passed by the equipment tables and the med bay until he finally spotted her.

The image he was met with drew him up short, his breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. He felt rocked as he flashed between seeing her right then, asleep, hair loose as it spread behind her and the things he'd been seeing in his head.

She was curled on her side, facing the back of the couch. Her deep, even breaths let him know she was sleeping soundly. She looked better, her face wasn't as wan as it had been earlier. He stood watching her for a long while until he eventually backed up and went to sit in her chair.

Something was happening. Something he couldn't explain, an unknown that felt weighty and threatened to undo everything they'd worked for. He just couldn't see it yet.

When Digg arrived Oliver almost didn't hear the alarm sound on the screens behind him. He pulled himself from his thoughts and managed to look with it when Digg appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey man, I was about to head over to pick you up. Felicity asked me to run out and grab her some things," he explained as he held up the bag in his hands.

"She's better?" Oliver asked.

Digg shrugged as he crossed to the mini-fridge. "Seems that way. Said she was going to come over here and get started instead of heading back to the office." He placed a carton of milk inside and shut the door before he took a large red box out and sat it on top.

Oliver's eyes drew together as he looked at what appeared to be children's cereal.

Digg snorted. "Yeah, I don't know. It's what the lady wanted. Said she felt better and needed her comfort food."

In unspoken agreement they both busied themselves with tasks that didn't require metal clanging or grunts of pain in order to let Felicity sleep as long as possible.

He almost didn't hear her come up behind him, her bare feet silent on the cold concrete floor.

"What have I said about you not touching my computers?" Her voice was rough with sleep, as he turned to see her rubbing tired eyes and attempting to put her hair in order as she approached.

"Sorry, but you were napping in my training space. Seemed only fair." He smiled up at her, glad to see her looking better.

Her hand rested against the high back and just as he was expecting her to tell him to move she gasped in pain, palm pressed to her temple.

He was up in a flash, taking her by the waist and guiding her into the chair as he knelt in front of her.

"Felicity, what's wrong?" he asked, unable to keep the worry from his voice.

She didn't answer for a long moment and just as he was about to yell for Digg she sat back and let her hand drop. Her eyes were still shut, but the shaky breath she took let him know she was trying to pull herself together.

The flush that crept up her cheeks didn't make any sense, and when she opened her eyes she avoided looking at him, scooting the chair forward so she was no longer facing him. "I'm fine, just got up too fast," she said unconvincingly, her attention focused intently on the screens in front of her.

He started to protest but she cut a glare his direction. "I'm fine."

With a sigh he got up and left her to her work as he found Digg so they could begin training.

An hour later her found her with an empty bowl next to her, eating straight from the box of sugary cereal. He merely lifted an eyebrow at her and she pointed one blue painted nail his direction.

"Don't judge me, Oliver Queen," she said heatedly and he held his hands up in mock surrender. "It's the only thing that sounded good, and I don't feel like running to the bathroom every twenty minutes, so I'm going to consider this progress and not question it."

He leaned in under the guise of studying the box more closely. "There are rainbow shaped marshmallows," he stage whispered.

She moved the box to her other side like she thought he was going to steal them. "And they are magically delicious," she whispered back, although her whisper sounded almost sinister.

He gave her a head tilt to show her victory as he backed away. "No judging."

The next morning she was on time, but looked just as bad as she had the day before. She stopped him as he opened his mouth to send her home again. "I'm staying, I'll be fine."

His morning was full with meetings and he saw her duck into the bathroom once, but other than that she seemed to be coping. On his way back from his lunch he dropped a coffee on her desk. She looked up in surprise, a smile breaking across her face.

The next few days followed the same pattern, she looked horrible most of the morning and into the afternoon, but by the time they arrived at the lair she was always fine. She'd gone through three boxes of that cereal and he'd caught her napping in her chair or on the couch more than once, but nothing else seemed amiss.

Digg was chuckling over his phone when Oliver exited his house the following morning and he looked at the other man expectantly. "I'm under orders to stop buying her the cereal, no matter how much she begs. Apparently she was having trouble finding something that fit this morning."

Oliver got into the back seat and shook his head. Felicity looked the same as she always had.

She barely greeted him as he entered the office that morning. Her usually bright disposition was low, and she wore a simple pencil skirt and blouse he hadn't seen in months.

When she came up to him and slapped a stack of cards on his desk for him to sign he looked up in surprise.

"Everything okay?" he asked slowly.

"Great. It's great. Can you just sign these so I can get them in the mail?" Her impatience was evident.

"Sure, what is it I'm signing exactly?" he asked, pen already out as he opened the first one.

"A condolence card for one of the security guards-his mother died. A get well card for Simmons in Marketing-appendix, and one of the women in Finance had a baby yesterday." She was sliding the cards away from him as soon as he'd signed them, but as he read over the final one everything fell into place.

Baby.

Numb, he finished on auto-pilot not even noticing as she walked from the room. The pen fell from his fingers as he sat dumbstruck, staring at her through the glass walls.

All the little things he'd been dismissing or ignoring for weeks on end now made perfect sense. The images he'd been seeing, of them being more intimate than he had wanted to admit. Her illness, the falling asleep, the changes in her mood, and now the clothes that wouldn't fit.

They hadn't just gone home that night after they'd been dosed by the Count. They'd had sex in the lair and then they'd gone home. And the repercussions of that was staring him right in the face.

Felicity was pregnant.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Continually amazed by the response to this story. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! No more waiting. This is the chapter where Felicity finds out. I apologize for the feels!**

**Thanks again to my ladies for their comments, comma fixes, and general snark. **

Guilt like he'd never felt before slammed into him and he was out of his seat and exiting the office before he could think. He needed to be out of there, away from her. He didn't even know what lame excuse he threw over his shoulder as he exited. He knew she'd call Digg, but his bike was stowed in the garage and in a few short minutes he was pulling out onto the streets of Starling City without a destination in mind.

His phone buzzed repeatedly in his pocket but he ignored it. All he could think about was what he'd done to her. To them.

He wanted to say he was surprised when he pulled into the gates of the cemetery, but he wasn't. He'd only been there once since he'd been back but the route was burned into his memory.

As he stood over his best friend's grave he wished fiercely that Tommy could be there right then. He needed a sharp clap on his back and a smart ass crack about how impressed he was this hadn't happened sooner.

He needed his best friend.

Oliver found himself pacing the short space in front of Tommy's headstone as his mind whirled. Felicity was pregnant. He had gotten her pregnant. He hadn't been having daydreams or strange fantasies, he'd been remembering.

His eyes slammed shut as an unbidden image of pale flesh and her gasping his name struck him hard. He had to tramp down on the desire that flooded him. They'd had sex, been together. He'd touched her and kissed her and done all the things he'd kept himself from even thinking about. A rough hand rubbed across his forehead as he tried to rid himself of the memories.

Because the reality was, she was pregnant and he had no idea what to do about that. There was no way she knew. He didn't know how that was possible because the signs seemed so clear to him now, but he knew she wouldn't have been able to hide it if she did.

How would she react? Would she blame him? Would she leave?

The way his gut twisted at that thought was enough to bring him to a halt. He couldn't lose her. Even if leaving him would probably be what would be best for her. There was an actual physical pain in his chest that made him press his fist into it. He needed her. But after this...he'd never blame her if she did leave. He'd understand.

He was the one to blame. The night she'd joined up with them he'd told Diggle they'd protect her. Never did he think the one he'd need to protect her from was himself. If he had never approached her she'd be safe right then, tucked away in the IT department, going home every night to a glass of wine and a life he couldn't give her.

He was broken. Damaged. So much more than she even knew. She only saw what he wanted her to see, and even though she saw more than anyone else it wasn't everything. No one should be tied to a monster like that. He thought he could control her in his life like he controlled everything else. And he thought he'd been getting there with her. Revealing things slowly, trying to be better. Never would he have imagined something like this.

The look of utter betrayal on her face as she learned what he'd done came into his mind and he shook his head fiercely to get rid of it. Because it was either get rid of it or drown in it, there was nothing else. It left him short of breath and not knowing what to do.

The sound of the car door shutting broke him from his reverie. His head turned to see Digg leaning against the side of the sedan. Oliver's head dropped in defeat. She'd tracked his GPS, of course she had.

He spent a few more minutes just staring at Tommy's name before he headed to his bike without looking in Digg's direction. The car tailed him until he made the turn for the mansion.

That was one of the longest nights of his life. All he did was walk the floors of his fathers old study, the one room where he knew he wouldn't disturb anyone. He went back and forth on whether he should tell her or not. He knew she needed to know. But both of them knowing made it real.

When he'd arrived at the office the next morning she'd given him a sympathetic smile and a cup of coffee. She'd assumed he'd had some relapse about Tommy. The gesture wasn't lost on him and he almost told her everything right then in the outer waiting area with the elevator opening behind him signaling the arrival of a group of investors he was about to meet with.

In the end he took the coffee and grabbed the file from her before heading to the meeting.

He couldn't say exactly why he hadn't said anything to her yet. Part of him was hoping she'd figure it out on her own. But as the days dragged on and she showed no signs of noticing he became more anxious. Because as soon as she knew everything would change.

Part of him also felt that if he was the only one bearing the burden he could save her the pain of knowing what he'd done to her.

He was hyper-aware of her now. Every move she made he studied, scrutinized, waited with his breath caught in his throat and his heart clenched to make sure she was fine. That she was safe, and okay, and whole.

He brought her tea in the afternoon now instead of coffee. The first time she'd almost spit it out. He'd shrugged and told her the coffee machine was broken. That garnered him a laugh that he didn't feel like he deserved.

Somehow he'd arranged it so they gave her a ride to and from work. After the third morning she'd called him on his bullshit but he'd talked around it and she'd let it go. If she noticed that the hand he usually held hovering over her lower back whenever they walked anywhere together was now firmly planted on her she also didn't say. But Digg was beginning to send him some side-eyed glances he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid for much longer.

It all came to a head almost a week after he'd realized everything. They were going over their latest mission, a case where their target would be at the same gala Oliver was required to attend as CEO. Felicity just needed to get close enough to the man to detect if he had the phone on him they were after. As his executive assistant she could walk around the party with her phone out, and the program running she had designed with no one thinking twice, but Oliver couldn't get away with that.

It was something she'd done before but as she explained how it would go down he exploded and said she wouldn't be going.

She looked at him in shock, and then got that glint in her eye as she advanced on him. Her hands were waving, blond hair swirling as she whipped her head between him and Digg, but he didn't hear a word of it.

He felt like everything was getting away from him. As Digg continued to stare at him in confusion and worry, realizing something was going on, Felicity whirled, arguing her point. All he could see was everything going wrong.

So when she raised her voice again, eyes flashing, not understanding why he was saying no to something she'd done before he snapped.

"What is so different about this mission, Oliver? It's not like it's my first time doing this!"

"Because you're pregnant!" he roared before he could stop himself.

Time stopped as his words rang through the basement.

Finally she moved, as she let out a short stilted laugh and turned to Digg with a smile. But Digg wasn't smiling. He was staring at Oliver and as he looked at his partner he saw the wheels turning. All the things that had been right in front of them for weeks...months even, and none of them had noticed.

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a soft look as she leaned over and patted his arm. "I can assure you, I am not pregnant. Where would you get such a ridiculous idea?" she asked as she made her way back to the touch screen, pulling up blueprints for the building she thought he was going to let her walk in to.

"Felicity…" his voice was something he didn't recognize, and she heard it immediately.

Tension filled her body as she straightened and then turned to face him. He watched as she visibly shook off whatever apprehension she'd felt and tried to hide it. "I know that usually I'm the one who has issues with boundaries, and not knowing when to stop talking, but...you need to take my word for it when I tell you, I am not pregnant."

He went to start again but she stopped him with two raised fingers. "Don't. It takes two people to make that happen. Two. And there hasn't been a two in my life in a very long while, which you did not need to know about, but I don't know how else to convince you that I am not pregnant." She went to go back to the screen and swiveled her head at the last second, giving him a smirking smile. "Unless you think I was touched by Zeus or there's some other magical way of being knocked up without me knowing. If that's the case, I'd love to hear what I missed out on."

As usual, she'd found the answer without even trying. Oliver was unable to mask his reaction. Both hands scrubbed down his face, and he let out a long breath as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you remember the night we got dosed with the Count's new drug?"

Digg shifted and it took everything in him not to look at the man.

Felicity's eye's drew together behind her glasses as she looked at him. "Yeah…"

"We...didn't go home immediately."

He saw as she processed his words, shock slowly breaking over her face as it settled within her. Her head was shaking back and forth before she could get her voice to work. "No...that's not possible," she said hoarsely and half ran to her desk where her phone lay.

He could see her hands shaking from across the room and it took several tries for her to open the screen and find whatever she was looking for.

"I have...an app for..._that_. I mean...I would have noticed if I missed...I would have seen…" A few more taps and then her mouth fell open in horror. Her knees actually buckled and if Digg hadn't reached out a quick hand to guide her to a chair she would have ended up on the floor.

Oliver was three steps from her when he pulled up short. He wanted to go to her, he wanted to help her, but he didn't know if she'd want him near her now that she knew. And by the way Digg had placed himself between the two of them he had the feeling he'd need to go through the big man first.

"You said you didn't remember!" she cried out in a choked voice, betrayal splashed all over her face.

"I didn't!"

"Then how did you know? How could you have known?" Her tears were tearing him apart and all he could do was stalk the area between the tables as he struggled with what to say.

"I didn't know. Felicity, you have to believe me. But I've been having these...flashes. I didn't know what they were at first, they didn't make any sense."

"Flashes of what?" Digg ground out, all but blocking Felicity from his view.

"Memories of that night. Not enough to understand at first but enough that over time…" part of him was desperate for her to know he hadn't known all along, and the other part was willing to take the blame for it all.

"How long have you known?" She sounded like nothing he'd ever heard before

His silence was answer enough.

"Oh my god," she gasped out. "Oh my god." She flew across the lair, hand covering her mouth as she bolted for the bathroom.

He was right behind her when a hard hand clamped down on his shoulder. "Let her go." The slam of the door reverberated in the space.

Oliver let out a frustrated growl as he shrugged out of the grip.

"How long have you known?" Digg's sharp eyes pierced through him, standing sentry once again in the space between Oliver and Felicity.

"About a week," he admitted.

The disapproving look he received was not surprising.

"You don't need to say it. Anything you could say I have already said to myself," he bit out.

"I believe that," Digg nodded, "but she deserved to know."

"I know that! But how do you tell a woman she's pregnant with your child when she doesn't remember sleeping with you, and you don't actually remember it either?" Oliver spat, all the guilt he'd been trying to deal with swelling within him once more.

"Well, that at least explains what's had you so on edge the past few days. You've barely let her out of your sight."

Oliver collapsed into the chair she had just vacated. His hands covered his face as he propped his elbows on his knees.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted quietly.

Digg's stance lightened some as he crossed to stand in front of Oliver. "You've got to give her some space. You've had a week to live with this," he said pointedly. "She's had minutes."

"She'll hate me." There it was. He finally admitted why he'd been so quiet, why he hadn't said anything when he knew he should have. Because it gave him one more week of her not looking at him like he'd destroyed her life, betrayed her trust, and broken what they had between them.

"This didn't just happen to her, Oliver. You didn't force yourself on her." Oliver was out of his chair at those words. That was what he'd been avoiding.

"I shouldn't have succumbed. I should have beaten it. I should have known the drug was in the ink. I did this to her. You cannot tell me otherwise."

Before Digg could say anything the door to the bathroom clicked open and his world stopped as he watched her head towards them.

Her head was down, arms wrapped tight around her middle and she avoided looking in their direction.

Without a word she grabbed her bag and phone and tablet, trying to hold everything at once instead of putting them away. He could see smudged eye makeup and tear tracks on her face and more than anything he wanted to fix her.

"Felicity…" Her name fell from his lips without his consent, sounding harsh in the silence. She jumped when he spoke, curling in on herself, making him back up.

"I just...I need some time," she rasped out, still not looking at him.

"I'll drive you home," Digg offered, stepping forward, but she held out a hand to stop him.

"No, I'm fine." It was the last thing she said before she turned and hurried up the stairs.

Oliver sat in the dark lair long after Digg left, second guessing every decision he'd made in the past week.

He'd been right to be worried though. Everything had changed.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you for the continued amazing support! I read and love all the reviews, and follows, and favorites. I'm so glad you're thinking I'm doing this 'right', because that is my goal. **

**Things are still a bit rocky for Team Arrow, but we're getting there. Have faith. **

**Thanks to all my ladies for your general awesomeness! **

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

He didn't know what to expect when he arrived at the office the next morning. His phone had been silent all night and he'd resisted the urge to show up at her apartment. Digg had been mute the entire drive in, and Oliver knew he was worried about her as well.

He certainly didn't expect her to already be at her desk when he got there. His steps actually faltered as he spotted her through the glass. She didn't look up when he entered, purposely tapping away until he reached over and closed his hand over hers on the keyboard.

"Felicity, what are you doing here? You didn't have to come in." She pulled her hand out of his like he'd burnt her, placing it in her lap before she raised her head.

He saw everything. The pain, the embarrassment, the uncertainty. But mostly he saw the fear.

Before she could blink he was around the side of the desk kneeling in front of her. "Hey." He tried to take her hands in his but she rolled backwards, and he could see her trembling.

"I just need some time, Oliver." Her whisper was so quiet he almost missed it. "I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. You need to give me until then. Don't bring it up. Don't talk about it. Pretend like it doesn't exist, just like you've been doing for the past week." The fire in her tone took him aback, as did her request.

There was a flash of movement from his peripheral vision, and before he even had a chance to reply she was speaking again. "Your first meeting is here, stand up," she said and turned her attention back to her screen.

Having no other choice than to do as she asked, he quickly palmed a pen as he rose and handed it to her with a tight smile. "Here you go, Ms. Smoak. Let's make sure my schedule is kept clear on Tuesday night," he said, coming around the desk and holding her gaze until she gave him a tiny nod.

Still feeling like his heart was being crushed, he turned in time to greet his first appointment as if his world wasn't threatening to crumble around him.

The rest of the day was wall to wall meetings and he barely had the chance to say more than two words to her. His last one ran late, and when he came out of the conference room her computers were dark and she was gone.

"You get a chance to talk to her?" Digg asked almost as soon as he entered the car.

Oliver sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, "No. She asked me to pretend like it doesn't exist until Tuesday." He tried to keep the bitterness and hurt out of his voice, but it was impossible.

"What's Tuesday?"

Digg's eyes caught his in the rearview mirror. "Her doctor appointment."

The implication of all that could mean hung between them and not another word was spoken as they drove to the lair.

Felicity was already in front of her screens when they arrived. She didn't look up when she heard them, but he saw tension enter her body and the way her foot wouldn't stop twitching.

She kept quiet until they'd passed her. "I've finished that program to detect the phone and installed it. It'll be easy enough to get him alone later in the night if he has it on him." She sounded...wrong. Her voice was tight and sharp, and he couldn't help but see red at her insinuation that she would still be going.

He and Digg exchanged a look, but before he could say anything she had started again. "Don't tell me I can't go. I'm going. You owe me that." The look she pinned him with dared him to challenge her.

He ate up the distance between them in three long strides and planted one fist by her keyboard as he leaned in so close his face was only inches from hers. "I agreed to not bring it up. I did not agree to let you put yourself in danger," he growled, as his eyes fell to her abdomen for the first time.

In an instant she was pushing from her chair leaving him no choice but to back up. "I'm going. If you try and stop me I will walk out of here and I will not be back!" she spat out as she held his eyes until she couldn't keep the tears away any longer, and she bolted for the stairs.

Digg was quiet until they heard the slam of the metal door at the top of the staircase.

"We'll keep them safe," he said, sounding calmer and more sure than Oliver thought any of them had a right to just then.

It wasn't until halfway through their training session that Oliver realized Digg had said 'them'. He'd come to a halt mid strike and ended up flat on his back for the distraction.

Them. The word washed through him and for the first time he let himself acknowledge he was tied to the life inside her.

Digg wanted to stop but Oliver refused. Felicity had come back downstairs and he wasn't leaving until she did.

She approached the training area with her bag over her shoulder, holding onto the straps like she needed the support to keep from falling apart. He froze, the long wooden stick he'd been sparring with forgotten in his hand and waited for her to talk.

"I'll be ready at seven. Digg can pick me up first," she said with a defiant tilt of her chin. He stared her down, the silent battle raging between them louder than any argument they'd ever had. Her threat to leave and never come back echoed in his mind.

When he dropped his head once in agreement her shoulders slumped and the look in her eyes softened slightly. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something else and then shook her head and left.

He trained the rest of the night. He trained so late he could barely get himself home and managed only to stumble to his bed and fall into a dreamless sleep. He spent the entirety of Saturday going over every aspect of the mission. He memorized the floor plan for the building, knew every exit, had three escape routes he could take her through if anything went wrong, and had installed a tracking device in a bracelet he'd snatched from Thea's room on the way out that morning as a last ditch backup.

Digg arrived around noon and just gave him a nod before he busied himself cleaning his weapons and going over the details again. It eased something in Oliver to know Digg was taking this just as seriously.

The dread within him grew as he drove back to the mansion to get ready. He and Digg had shared a look before he'd left. Nothing was going to happen to her. Nothing.

He was waiting in the foyer when he heard the car pull up. The bowtie around his neck felt like a noose, and even though his gear was in the trunk and this should be one of the most simple missions they'd ever done, he couldn't help but think of everything that could go wrong.

Felicity was intently studying her phone when he climbed in. Her hair was twirled up in a fancy knot he'd never seen her use before and the dress she wore showed off her shoulders.

"You look lovely," he said, hating the tension that stretched between them.

Her head shot up in surprise. "Thanks."

He dug in his pocket and pulled out the bracelet. "I need you to wear this."

She looked between the bracelet and him in confusion, mouth half open before he explained. "I put a tracker on it. Just...just in case." The grip he had on the piece of jewelry grew tighter as an image of having to use it crossed his mind.

He could see her deciding whether to take it or not, and he'd never know what caused the shift in her eyes as she reached over and slid it from his grasp.

"Okay," she agreed quietly and slipped it over her wrist. "Good thing it matches." Her voice still sounded off, but he appreciated her attempt to make things normal, if only for a few seconds.

When they arrived, Oliver waited for Digg to open the door and made an instant decision as he got out. He buttoned his jacket with one hand and extended the other back into the car, leaning in to see Felicity staring at him in shock. "Come on," he encouraged, waggling fingers at her.

She slid across the seat, eyebrows lifted, as she was supposed to ride around the back with Digg and go in through there. A sputtering protest spilled from her lips and he gave her a supportive smile. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. Come on."

Her fingers were whispers on his skin as she took his proffered hand, but it still felt like a bolt of electricity had gone through him. A small gasp she tried to cover up made him wonder if she'd felt it too.

As she stood he could see her dress in better detail. A long drape of fabric fell diagonally from the bodice all the way to the floor, leaving it slightly loose around her middle and he wondered if she had to buy it new because nothing else fit.

That swell of...something he'd never experienced before rose within him again and his hand found her lower back like it had been drawn there as he guided her up the steps. "You really do look stunning," he whispered in her ear.

He saw her swallow heavily and make a move to adjust glasses that weren't there.

She was unnaturally quiet as they entered. Other guests stopped him every few feet to say hello, but his hand never left her back until he saw Digg enter from a service door.

"Digg's here," he said lightly as he leaned closer to speak to her without being heard.

She didn't reply, just stepped smoothly away from him as she mixed into the crowd. He found he couldn't keep his eyes off her, and he spotted Digg tracking her like he was her bodyguard that night, which in a way he was.

Oliver got pulled into a discussion with another guest and managed to carry on the required pleasantries while keeping Felicity in his sights.

When he saw the man they were looking for he tensed and muttered a poor excuse as he abandoned the people he was talking with.

He caught Felicity near the edge of the crowd, Digg a few feet away. "He's here," he said.

"Showtime, boys." She raised her hand like she was going to pat his chest and then thought better of it, her fingers curling into a fist before she pulled her phone out and pretended to be working on it as she opened the program she needed.

She moved easily into the crowd with Digg already following her at a discreet distance. Oliver wound his way through the exterior of the party, avoiding as many potential delays as possible.

The man they were after was talking to a small group which let Felicity come up almost right behind him. Oliver's pulse increased the closer she got and he had to clench his hands to keep himself from pulling her out of there.

His eyes cut to Digg who looked just as tense and on edge. They both couldn't look away as she tapped on her phone and pretended to look around the room as if she was searching for Oliver.

She turned slowly, phone held loosely in one hand, but it was pointed very deliberately. To none the wiser she was just scanning the crowd. He saw her jump slightly and look down at her phone and there was a hint of a smile as she swiped across the screen.

Thirty seconds later he was at her side, hand returning to her lower back. "Success?"

"Left breast pocket," she said, slightly breathless.

"Good job," he praised, meaning it. The sudden realization that everything had gone fine and she was safe sent his equilibrium into a tailspin. He canted towards her, his shoulders closing around her as his other hand came to rest just at her waist.

Startled eyes flew to his and he smiled broadly in an attempt to cover his temporary loss of control. With deft fingers he slipped her phone from her hand and pocketed it before he took her by the wrist and led her onto the dance floor.

"Oliver…" she tried to resist but he wouldn't let her go.

"Just one dance," he asked more than said and waited with his breath held in his chest until she stepped towards him.

Her hand slid into his while the other laid gently along his arm. "I'm not a very good dancer," she warned him.

"Neither am I," he countered, and received a genuine smile in return.

"I find that hard to believe. I highly doubt Moira Queen would unleash her son on the young ladies of society without the basic ability to dance." She threw back with a raised eyebrow and that head tilt he always found so endearing.

He gave her a small shrug. "You think you know everything," he said, calling on the very dance training she'd so correctly pegged, and with quick steps turned them easily into a back corner, feeling how her fingers dug into the jacket of his tuxedo as he took her by surprise.

"Whoa! Warn a girl before you tear the rug out from under her," she said on a gasp, and they both almost stuttered to a halt at her words. In an instant everything they'd been avoiding and had managed to forget for the past few minutes came rushing back. Her eyes shuttered and he could actually feel the tension and strain enter her body. She shifted away from him until they were barely in a dance hold.

Before he could offer an apology or stupidly attempt to talk about the biggest thing to affect both their lives in a crowded ball room, the lights suddenly went out.

The orchestra trailed off instrument by instrument and a hush fell over the room. When a woman let out a startled scream there was frantic movement all around them.

Oliver didn't stop to think, he just reacted. In an instant he had Felicity spun into his chest, one hand unknowingly splayed across her abdomen as he looked around in the dim emergency lighting for Digg. He could feel how she clamped down on his forearm, chest rising in terror beneath him.

Digg appeared in a second, crowding in front of her. Oliver pushed her as far into him as he could before he pivoted, hardly an inch of her not protected by either of them. Fear slammed into him so strong and so unexpected that he felt frozen for a moment before years of training kicked in to override that unfamiliar emotion. He knew in that instant he'd go back on his vow not to kill if it meant he could save her.

"Oliver!" He heard her cry in a high wavery voice. He reached a hand back and clasped hers, nails digging in so hard she left crescent shaped marks on his skin. All his senses were on alert, trying to find the threat.

As a unit they moved slowly and carefully towards the back wall trying to stay out of the way of people who were beginning to panic. A quick reaction by Digg kept someone from running right into them. He felt Felicity shrink down behind him as she turned so her head was tucked into his shoulder blades, other hand clenched in his suit jacket.

They were almost to the service door nearest them when the lights came up. Guests were blinking their eyes, and looking around in confusion and fear until the orchestra conductor came over the sound system and explained the light panel had been accidentally hit and there was no cause for concern.

There was nervous laughter and slowly conversations started back up as the orchestra began playing again.

He felt Felicity release the grip she had on his jacket and turned slowly to see her pale, frightened face. Digg stepped back some and nodded his head towards the door. He was going to get the car. Oliver agreed with a sharp flick of his chin; they needed to get out of there.

"Hey, we're okay," he told her, hands cupping her shoulders, unable to ignore how smooth her skin was under his palms.

"Yeah," she said quietly, eyes still studying the floor. He looked down in time to see both her hands drop from where they had been clasped over her middle.

He felt like he'd been kicked in the gut, and wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and let her know that everything would be okay. Everything.

But he couldn't do that. Instead he chanced tipping her chin up with one finger. "Digg's getting the car. I think it's time you called it a night."

He was expecting her to fight him on it, but she didn't. "I think you're right."

The relief he felt was too swift for him to hide and he saw her eyes widen as she took in his reaction. "Let's go. You can wait in the car until I'm done."

Oliver waved a casual hand here and there as they left, but didn't stop even when people were clearly trying to get his attention. When she stumbled slightly he realized how fast his pace was and he slowed it for her.

He did make sure to take a few seconds to thank the host before they made their way down the stairs and out into the cool night air. Digg was waiting at the bottom, the back door already open. Oliver handed Felicity in quickly and when the door shut behind him he took his first real breath since the lights had gone out.

As soon as Digg was in the car he turned and found Felicity. "You okay?"

"I'm good," she said, voice stronger than it had been earlier. She sat back and closed her eyes, but he could see the frantic pulse in her throat and the way her chest rose and fell.

"We still on?" Digg asked.

"Yeah," he replied, his tone hard. They weren't going to have gone through all of that for nothing.

Digg's answer was to pull away as Oliver raised a hand and began to undo his bowtie. "Can you still make the call or do you want me to do it?"

Felicity blinked twice and turned her head to look at him. "I can do it, but you have my phone."

He gave her a slightly sheepish grin and felt in his pockets until he found the device. He dropped it into her hand with his bowtie and made quick work of his cufflinks. "Hang on to these too."

She let out a small sigh and let it all fall into her bag before she thumbed on her phone and dialed the venue they had just left. A few minutes later she'd managed to convince them to call their target and pass on a message to meet a potential investor on the west portico.

Digg parked on a dark street below the back garden of the gala site. Oliver shrugged out of his jacket, and in a moment of pure impulse, draped it over Felicity's shoulders. She gaped at him, unable to speak. "You looked cold." He was out of the car before he heard her response.

The trunk was already popped as he grabbed his bag and headed up a densely overgrown hill. He'd scouted this location earlier in the week and knew the best place to change and leave his bag. The low wall was no challenge and the lighting on this side of the building was at a minimum, which was why they had chosen it.

Right on time the mark walked out, looking around in confusion when he saw the portico was empty. It hardly took any threatening for the man to hand over the device; Oliver only had to nock one arrow before there was stammering and pleading.

It hadn't been twenty minutes since he'd exited the car that he was sliding back in again, Arrow gear stowed in the trunk. Digg held a finger to his lips when Oliver opened the door and he looked over to see Felicity sound asleep, curled into the back of the seat.

Oliver took care to buckle her in quietly as Digg headed for her apartment. He couldn't help the way his gaze kept going back to her. Every day he was realizing how important she was to him. Her threat to walk out the day before had hit him harder than he had expected. And now...he didn't know how to process that. Tuesday felt like it was years away.

They were pulling up at her place before he knew it and she was still asleep. Digg looked over his shoulder and then at Oliver." You going to wake her up?"

Oliver stared at her and wondered how mad she would be if she woke up while he was carrying her inside and then decided he'd risk it. "No, get her keys," he said and handed her small clutch over.

Oliver ran over to her side of the car and undid her seatbelt without her even twitching. He slid his arms under her and pulled her out easily, kicking the door shut with his foot as he headed for the main door to her building.

Digg was waiting to open it and then hurried ahead to get the elevator. Her head turned slightly into his chest but her eyes remained shut. They rode the five floors in silence and even the overly loud chime didn't wake her.

By the time Oliver had made it down the hall Digg was inside with the lights on. He headed straight back to her bedroom to see the covers had already been drawn back. When he laid her on the bed she rolled towards him slightly, and it took everything in him not to brush his hand across her face. Instead he slipped her heels off and pulled the blanket over her. The tuxedo jacket he'd wrapped around her was impossible to retrieve without waking her, so he just left it where it was. There was something about the sight of it enveloping her small frame that sparked a flame inside him. A flame that was close to burning out of control.

Digg slid her clutch in front of his face and he was forced to stand upright and take it. He left it on her bedside table and allowed himself one more look before he stole from the room.

When they were back in the car he sent her a text telling her to take the next day off and he'd see her Monday at the office.

He spent that night pacing as well. Every time he'd tried to fall asleep he'd been jolted awake by an image of shots ringing out in the ballroom as they danced and her lifeless body falling to the floor in front of him while he watched, helpless to do anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So much love! Huge thanks to everyone! I'm nervous to post this chapter. I feel like it might contain the most important scene in the whole story and I hope I did it well. Ack! **

**Please let me know what you think! **

**Enjoy!**

Sunday dragged on for him. Even a visit to see his mother and dinner with Thea did nothing to keep his mind off the wait he was enduring.

Digg had a coffee waiting for him when he exited the house Monday morning, correctly assuming he'd gotten little sleep. The day was much like the Friday before. Awkward encounters, and everything left unsaid. He did make sure to stop by Felicity's desk before he left to tell her she didn't have to go to the lair that night, but she insisted.

She busied herself with pulling everything she could off the device they'd picked up at the gala. There was no need to bother her while she worked, so he distracted himself with a long workout. She left while he was in the shower.

Tuesday. The day he'd had burned into his brain for so long the word had lost any of its original meaning. He suspected he'd hear the word years in the future and be filled with a sense of foreboding at its mere mention.

In hindsight he shouldn't have been surprised to see how full his calendar was. She'd kept him busy, and for most of it he was in the conference room. There was also a working lunch at a nearby restaurant that she'd arranged, and by the time he made it back she was gone.

Digg had just shook his head. "You guys really need to get this figured out. This can't go on for much longer."

"What do you want me to do? She asked me to wait. I'm doing that," he bit out as he returned to his office and turned the chair so his back was to the walls of glass.

He'd expected her to text him, call him, or show up at the office or the lair, but she hadn't. He knew he'd be no good out under the hood that night and had told Digg to go home early. When he'd fallen off the salmon ladder he lay on the ground and let out a growl of frustration; it had gone on for too long.

Which was how he'd found himself on his bike, heading to her building at quarter to one in the morning.

Using the fire escapes to gain access to her fifth floor apartment wasn't a challenge, nor was entering through the window since it had been left slightly open.

Her bedroom was dark, and he hesitated with one foot in as to whether or not he should continue. He didn't want to scare her. But as he pushed the curtain aside, a shaft of light fell across the bed and he could see it was empty.

Concern filled him and he stepped fully inside, already crossing the floor to check the rest of the rooms.

He found her on the couch, one low lamp burning on a side table. She was curled in the corner, blanket tucked around her. Even in sleep she looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes, her brow still drawn together.

Guilt sliced through him again. He should be used to it by now.

He wasn't going to wake her; she deserved whatever rest she could get. He could wait.

As he turned to leave, he noticed she held something in her hand and he was drawn closer. When he saw the small square of paper and realized what it was, all the breath left his body.

Without knowing what he was doing he slipped it from her grasp and held it up to the light. The black and white image was fuzzy and grainy but the word 'Baby' and the arrow pointing to a small white blob was unmistakable.

His legs didn't seem to want to hold him any longer, and he found himself on the floor with his back to the couch. The picture he held was all he could see. This was real. There was another person growing inside her. A person they had made.

The swell of protectiveness that rose within him drew a sound from deep in his chest, so sudden and so loud he snapped his neck to the side to see if he'd woken up Felicity, but she slept soundly. His thumb traced the small shape over and over again. That was his baby.

The want surprised him. It welled up quick and thick and filled his veins in an instant. He'd never thought about being a parent, especially after returning from the island. It was something that had seemed so unattainable and incongruous with his life that he'd never considered it as an option.

Now that it was here he wanted it desperately. And he wanted it with Felicity.

He turned so he could look at her. That same swell of emotion came again, but this time there was more there. He had to clench his hands to keep from reaching out to touch her. But when he noticed she still wore her glasses, his hand was going forward to take them off her face before he could think it through.

Laying them carefully on the table he watched with his heart thundering in his chest as she shifted into the throw pillow behind her, sliding down until she was more comfortable. Her knees just pressed into his back and he didn't so much as breathe until she was settled.

He spent what must have been hours staring at either the picture or her. A running loop of why this was such a bad idea went through his head, but every single one he could justify, he could rationalize. The only one that gave him pause was their safety. That made him want to pack her off to another city with enough money to live out her life, safe and protected. The few minutes he thought the gala was under attack were still fresh in his mind, as was the hell he'd gone through thinking she...they...were in danger.

But the look on her face if he tried to make her leave was what stopped him from making the arrangements right then.

Wanting this was the stupidest, most reckless, most selfish thing he'd ever done in his life. He knew they had every reason in the world not to. And that did nothing to keep him from needing it deep inside the part of him he thought had died.

Falling asleep on her living room floor, propped against the side of her couch, was not his intention. He woke up to a light touch on his shoulder. Blinking open heavy eyes he noticed his surroundings and looked over quickly to see Felicity, still on the couch. Her emotions were hidden behind a well placed mask as she studied him, her head propped up on one hand.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately, wanting to somehow let her know that he wasn't ignoring her request for space, but that he needed to make sure she was okay.

"I know. I left the window open for you," she said gently, and he stared at her in shock.

He shifted his stiff body so he was turned towards her, one arm propped on the edge of the cushions. Her eyes dropped to the picture he still held in his hand.

"Felicity…"

Her hand flashed out and a finger covered his lips, stunning him at the heat that simple act generated.

"This wasn't your fault, Oliver. This wasn't my fault. There is only one person to blame here." Her voice was strong and he had the feeling she'd been rehearsing that for some time, as if she had known what he would say.

"But it happened, and...I've done nothing but think about this. I know why you didn't tell me." His eyes fell away at that, still ashamed he hadn't had the courage to talk to her. "I get it. This is...well huge doesn't really seem like the appropriate word. Cataclysmic might be better." She gave him a tight smile and he could see how hard she was trying. "Doesn't mean you shouldn't have said something earlier, but that didn't change anything, not really."

She plucked a loose thread from the cushion, no longer trying to retain eye contact with him. He cleared his throat to speak and her hand flashed up to stop him.

"Let me finish," she requested. His mouth closed with a snap as he waited. "When I went in this afternoon, I didn't know what I was going to do. Honestly. Until I saw that." She gestured to the picture he had and he held it out to her automatically. She lightly grasped the other side but didn't take it from him.

She took a shaky breath before she continued. "I spent most of the evening and into the night trying to convince myself that this was the worst idea I had ever had. That I was going to regret it if I went through with it. That it was going to cause nothing but problems, and turmoil, and possibly ruin everything in my life and...none of that seemed to matter. And I don't know why!" she cut off on a half gasping sob, blinking rapidly to stop the tears, but not being successful. He shifted forward, heart clenched at her distress, but too numbed by shock at her words to respond.

Her eyes were shut for a long moment as she tried to center herself. When she opened them again, they blazed with a fire he'd never seen before. "I look at that picture and I want it. I want it so badly and I can't explain it and none of it makes sense and I know what you're going to say, I know you're going to tell me it's too dangerous, and we'd both be targets, and how can I do my jobs, and I know all of that, I do. I really do, you have to believe me. I have never been as scared as I was at that party-" She was becoming increasingly upset, tears streaming down her face, her breath coming in short bursts as she tried to talk around it.

This time he couldn't hold back. He moved forward and wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her toward him before she could resist.

Her head came to press against his shoulder as she let out one long shaky exhale trying to pull herself back together. His palm rubbed over her back in soothing circles, carefully moving her hair out of the way so it wouldn't catch. When she'd calmed some he felt her try sit back but he held her in place for one more moment.

"I want it too," he admitted and heard her gasp.

Her hands pushed on his chest as she sat up, looking at him like she'd never seen him before. She hastily wiped her wet face and pushed tangled hair behind her ears as he slowly moved back to his previous position.

"Wha...Oliver…"

"I shouldn't," he said tightly, turning so his back was once again to the couch, his arms resting on his bent legs as he studied the picture he still held. "I shouldn't want this. Everything about this is wrong, and careless, and…"

He felt her move, her legs coming to slip over the side of the seat, her knee just brushing his shoulder. "And...it doesn't seem to matter," she finished for him.

His head fell forward at her words, as a coil of apprehension slowly unwound inside him. She understood. She agreed. The relief struck him so fast his eyes burned with emotion he hadn't felt in so long he thought it no longer existed.

His empty hand wrapped into a fist that he pressed into his forehead, deep breaths going through his nose before he lost the tenuous hold he had on his composure.

The first touch was so light he barely felt it. The second was tentative but stronger, and as her fingers trailed over the exposed skin of his neck and through the short strands of hair on the back of his head the lump in his throat eased.

When he couldn't ignore the tiny sparks of electricity that seemed to flow from each place she touched, he reached back and clasped her hand in his. With his head still bowed he tightened his fingers around hers, not surprised when her thumb picked up the soothing rhythm she'd already established and ran across the hard ridges of his knuckles.

"I didn't expect this," she said softly, and for a second he thought she was talking about the pregnancy in general, until he realized she meant she didn't expect his reaction. "I had this whole speech prepared about how I didn't want you to try and be noble. That this wasn't your fault and we weren't together so...I had no right to expect you to do anything even though I knew you would because you're just that sort of person. That I had mostly come to terms with my decision and I didn't have it all worked out yet but I would. I'd figure it out. And now you've gone and surprised me, and for once I have no idea what to say."

"I surprised me too." His voice was thicker than he had expected, and by the way her thumb stilled and then started again he knew she'd noticed.

He squeezed her hand once and then raised his head slightly. Instead of pulling her hand back like he expected she slid it across the back of his neck to his shoulder, fingers trailing across the edge of his shirt collar before she began to trace the ridge of muscle.

The flash took him by surprise, slamming into him with such force he almost collapsed forward. The picture fell from his hands as he pressed both palms to his head to try and drive out the pain. In his memory she was kissing down his throat, her nails raking across his chest making him rear back at the sensations she was drawing from him. His fingers dug into the flesh at her hips and he felt her smile into his skin at his reaction. When he looked down all he saw was mussed hair, and bright eyes, and her looking up at him in total happiness.

The desire he felt to experience that again was what brought him back. Felicity was crouched at his side, her hand resting on his shoulder as she called his name, her voice high with worry.

"I'm okay," he told her roughly, scraping both hands over his face before he sat back with a long exhale.

Quietly she rose from where she was and sat back down, this time being careful to leave some space between them and he felt a pang of regret at her action.

"I've had some of those...flashes. At least I think that's what they were," she admitted, and his head spun to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed at the memory and he stayed silent to avoid adding to her discomfort. "Just twice. They were quick and...I mean it's not like my imagination hasn't run away with me in the past so I dismissed it." She was fiddling with the hem of her shirt as she spoke. He tried to push aside the feeling he got at hearing her say she'd thought about him like that before.

"It's strange though. Having these glimpses of something you did but not being able to remember it all…" she trailed off, and he almost missed her mumble under her breath, "It's just not fair."

"That's why I ignored them, or tried to ignore them," he offered.

She tucked a foot underneath her and shoved a fall of hair behind her ear. "I know. I mean why would you think that we would have...you know. It's absurd really. I can't imagine what you were thinking, especially if you had more of those flashes than I did because what I saw was pretty vivid and...I'm just going to stop talking now."

"I was thinking you were right. It wasn't fair to know it had happened and not be able to remember. I've been jealous of myself, if that's even possible." He found he wanted to say more, the connection they now shared erasing any resistance he had about telling her how he felt.

Her mouth fell open as she stared at him. He watched as she actually shook herself from her thoughts and reached up to adjust glasses that weren't there. "Jealous? Oliver…"

Her doubt struck him and it was a need to fix that more than anything that made him speak. "Jealous," he confirmed, "Because what I realized was I don't just want the baby." They both paused at the word, her breath hitching in her throat. "I want it all."

His words hung between them until she gave him a sad smile he didn't understand. His brows drew together in confusion and all he could do was follow her with his eyes as she rose from the couch and began to pace around the still dark living room.

"I knew you'd do this," she whispered softly. "You're so damn...good. More good than you give yourself credit for. You don't see it, but I do. Which is why I knew you would do this. And that's why I can't let you. You already sacrifice so much. You have nothing that is truly yours. Nothing that isn't a lie and I can't let you convince yourself of something that isn't real just because you think it's the right thing to do. I...I care about you too much." Her arms were wrapped around her middle, and he could see how hard it was for her to say the words.

"You're wrong," he said simply. He pushed from the floor to the couch but stayed seated, even though everything in him cried out to go to her.

She cocked her head to the side and gave him a long suffering look.

"You're wrong. I didn't say what I said because I feel some sort of obligation to you. I said it because it's true. Felicity, you are the only person who actually sees me for me. Even when I'm not even sure who that person is. You've always known. And I have been very purposely not letting myself act on what I've been feeling, because I'm not sure if I deserve you." Her arms now fell limp at her sides as she gaped at him.

He'd crossed the distance to her in two steps and took in her accelerated heart rate along with the breath that suddenly was coming too fast as he looked down at her. "This…" his hands hovered over her midsection, "the baby doesn't change any of that, except it's given me the push I needed to tell you. So yes, you can say I'm doing this because of the baby but not in the way you think. I need you to understand that."

"Oliver, what are you saying?" Her eyes sparkled, and he could see the tiniest bit of hope in them as she let herself believe what he'd said.

"I'm saying I don't want you doing this alone. I'm saying I would like to see where we go. I don't want to rush anything but...if I had to do this, and I mean all of this, with anyone, I'm glad it was you."

Tears spilled over her eyes and he immediately tried to wipe them away, which only made her cry harder. "I don't want to do this with anyone else either," she said haltingly, before she launched herself at him.

He rocked back on his heels as her arms wrapped around his neck and finally, after a week, he was able to do what he'd wanted to do all along.

Oliver held her tight, eyes shut as he just breathed her in. Hot tears rolled under his collar but he didn't care. One hand found it's way into her hair, the other wrapped solidly around her waist.

"We can do this, right?" she asked carefully, and he pulled back so he could see her.

"Which part?" he replied with a slight upturn of his lips, glad to see her return it.

"All of it," she said on a choking laugh.

The hand in her hair slid around to gently cup her face. "Yeah, we can do this." The conviction in his voice even took him by surprise.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she turned into his touch and he couldn't resist allowing his thumb to coast across her cheekbone.

She sighed and stepped back, nerves entering her once again as she bit her lip and looked at the floor. He wanted to tell her the sight of her doing that made him want to bite it for her, but he thought that might be too soon.

He ran a hand over his hair and turned slightly to see the picture on the floor where he'd dropped it. Stooping, he picked it up and couldn't help staring at the little white figure that was turning their lives upside down.

"How was your appointment?" he asked suddenly, just then realizing he didn't know anything about whether she or the baby were alright.

A look of panic must have crossed his face as he froze, failure and shame flushing through him. He'd just told her he wanted this and he couldn't even remember to ask her about her doctor's appointment.

"Hey!" she said, louder than she normally would have spoken and he jerked back as he looked at her in surprise. "I called your name three times," she explained, and his mouth bobbed in an apology he couldn't quite manage to get out.

"Everything is fine. Oliver, it's okay, we kind of had more important things to talk about," she assured him, her hand skimming up his arm as he nodded. "Now, if you do this after the next one…" she trailed off with a smile, and he knew she was trying to draw him out.

He blinked quickly as a thought hit him, "Oh, I just thought...I thought I'd go with you," he said, not actually having had that idea until that very second, but he knew he wanted to do it.

"You...you want to go with me?" the surprise evident in her voice.

"Of course. I told you Felicity, I want all of this."

She looked like she was close to tears again as she smiled at him. "Okay, I'll make sure your schedule is clear."

"So, you're fine...the baby's fine?" He felt nervous all of a sudden, not knowing what he could and couldn't ask.

"Yes. Even though they seemed skeptical as to how I could be eleven weeks pregnant and not know it," she scoffed.

"Eleven?" he said quickly, doing the math in his head and looking at her in confusion.

Her hands waved in front of her. "Don't try and make any sense of it. It has something to do with already being two weeks pregnant before you actually get pregnant. They tried to explain it to me three times before I pretended like I understood so I wouldn't look like a bad mother."

The hand that had been waving was suddenly over her mouth and her eyes looked impossibly huge as she stared at him in shock. "Wow. I haven't...I haven't said that word yet," she gulped, and he knew exactly how she felt.

"It's going to take some getting used to."

"So we're...we're good. They sent me home with vitamins and a bunch of outdated pamphlets. I mean, haven't these people heard about the internet? There was something about too much caffeine which I'm not a fan of and a list of foods I'm not supposed to eat that I'm not sure is entirely accurate. I think part of the plan is to scare you the first time into doing nothing but sitting on a couch and turning into a human incubator for nine months which is utterly ridiculous. I'm pregnant not made of glass," she fussed, but all Oliver could think of was something happening to them.

"Maybe that's not such a bad plan," he said hoarsely, and before she could protest he kept going. "I have one request. No, it's not even a request it's a requirement," he corrected and saw her eyebrows lift into her hairline. His hands came forward to cup her elbows as he locked his eyes on hers. "No fieldwork. None. Not even a little. That's non-negotiable." His voice was as low as it would go.

Instead of fighting him or recoiling she let out a relieved sigh and slumped forward, her forehead coming to rest on his chest. "Oh god, Oliver, you scared me! I was already going to tell you I wasn't going out in the field, it's not worth the risk."

It took a moment for her words to register with him and when they did he hauled her into him as she let out a started squeak. "Thank you," he breathed into her hair, trying to get his suddenly erratic heart to calm down. She'd be safe. They'd be safe.

"I was so worried the other night," he admitted.

"I know, so was I," she replied, her hand running over his back. "But I'm actually glad it happened." He let her go and his hands slide down her arms as she pulled back far enough to see him. "It made me realize I'm a liability in the field. But...it also let me know you'd be an amazing father."

He was not sure what sound came from him but it was something he'd never heard before. He knew his head was shaking no at her words, not understanding what she could mean. Her hands captured his face and the soft look she gave him helped calm the emotions that were threatening to overtake him.

"When you thought there was danger you didn't hesitate. And I've come to expect that from you. But you didn't just protect me, you protected both of us." One hand fell to grasp his and he put up no resistance as she placed it over her abdomen.

He wasn't breathing as he felt the smallest of bumps under his palm and remembered turning her at the gala, his hand coming up automatically to cover the baby he didn't even know he wanted. "I'll always protect you," he said throatily, not moving his hand.

"I know you will," she said with a watery smile, her hand falling to cover his.

"It hardly feels like anything is there," he said in awe, looking up when she barked out a laugh.

"Tell that to all the skirts I can't zip."

"I'll buy you new ones."

"That's a conversation for a later date," she said with a bit of edge.

"What is?"

"How you're just going to...hand me your Black card and tell me to get whatever I need. Which, I should remind you, I already have access to your accounts, I don't actually need the card to use it." One eyebrow was lifted as she gave him a look.

"Felicity…" he began, hating how she always put up a protest whenever money was involved.

"Later. Date." she said emphatically, and he gave a soft sigh of resignation.

He realized with a start his hand still rested over her belly and he couldn't help moving it slightly, feeling the small hard mass that lay just beneath her skin. "I can't believe there's actually a baby in there," he said without thinking.

"I know, it's surreal."

His eyes caught hers and he thought his heart stopped. Energy crackled between them, her eyes swirling with emotion as she stared up at him.

The alarm blaring from her phone made them both jump, his hand falling to his side as she hurried over to shut it off. "5:45, time to get up," she said with a nervous laugh.

"You should take the day off," he said immediately.

"I took half the day yesterday. And I can either feel like puking all morning here or there. Might as well be productive." Her jaw was set like she expected him to challenge her.

"Then take tonight off," he countered.

"No can do. You and Digg are going in to grab that data tonight," she reminded him with the smallest of smirks. "I'm fine. I'll be more careful, but you can't treat me like I'm about to break. There needs to be a happy medium."

His eyes shut tight as he fought against his instinct. "I can try," he half ground out and was rewarded with a broad smile.

"That's all I'm asking. Now...you need to do the walk of shame, Mister Billionaire," she said with a soft push to his arm in the direction of her front door.

He cocked his head at her and watched her flush. Just before his hand hit the door he realized he still held the picture. "Sorry, here," he said handing it back but she just folded it carefully and slipped it into his pocket.

"That's yours, I have another."

The need to kiss her almost overwhelmed him and he settled with cupping her cheek one more time, feeling a flare of heat go through him as she turned into his touch.

"We'll pick you up before work," he said and she opened her mouth to protest before shutting it and giving a resigned sigh.

"Go, before Digg's waiting for you and I get an angry text from him."

He watched as the door shut and the locks clicked before he finally made his way for the elevators.

The ride back to the mansion was a blur, and he was fairly certain even the early morning chill wasn't enough to wipe the slightly stupid grin off his face.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you again! The response to the last chapter was exactly what I hoped it would be! This chapter begins almost immediately after the last one. **

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

"You two have talked I take it." Digg said immediately when Oliver walked out of the house and hour after he'd arrived.

He merely narrowed an eye and unbuttoned his jacket before he climbed in the car. "What gives you that idea?"

"Maybe the fact that you don't look like a kicked puppy anymore."

Oliver's eyes narrowed further and Digg just gave him a grin before he shut the door.

Once the car was moving Oliver took a deep breath, suddenly feeling like he had to somehow justify their decisions. "We talked. We're going to try and make this work."

He was actually glad that they were having this conversation in the car and not on the training mat. By the way Digg's shoulders tightened he thought there was a chance it may end in blood and bruises if they were sparring.

"Make what work?" he asked heavily

"All of it. The baby. Us."

"Us? Since when is there an us?"

Oliver resisted the urge to get defensive, but Digg was right to be concerned. "Since all of this made me realize things I'd be avoiding for too long." His fingers dipped quickly into his breast pocket to feel the edge of the sonogram picture he'd moved there when he'd gotten dressed.

"If you're thinking of starting something just because of the-" he began but Oliver cut him off.

"No. That's not the only reason." he said sharply

"Does she know that?"

"Yes,"

A thick silence fell between them until Digg's eyes found his in the mirror. "This isn't a game. This is a child and this is all our lives. If you hurt her...hurt them…" the unfinished warning was clear and Oliver nodded once.

"Have you thought about that at all? How this affects being the Arrow?" Digg wasn't pulling any punches, and Oliver was grateful in a way. As much as he and Felicity had covered just a few hours earlier there was still so much left for them to figure out

"No, not yet." the disgruntled huff from the front seat was all he needed to hear to know Digg didn't approve. "We will."

"She's not going back out in the field." Digg said suddenly, his tone suggesting it wasn't up for discussion.

"Don't worry, that's something we actually all agree on."

"All of us?" Digg asked skeptically.

"All. She said so herself." Oliver relayed and the man's shoulders dropped just a bit.

"I'm surprised, but glad to hear it. That wasn't a talk I was looking forward to having."

Felicity was waiting in the lobby when they pulled up and Oliver barely had time to exit the car before she was there.

"Hey," she said, almost shyly. Her hand skimmed unconsciously over her front. The dress she wore was one of her newer ones, but only if you knew to look could you tell anything was different. "You can't tell, can you? I can go change. I should. We don't want questions yet. At least I don't think we do."

"Felicity," he said evenly and took her by the elbow to guide her to the open door and into the backseat. "You look fine. No one can tell."

She slid across and flicked her eyes briefly to Digg. "Might have to do some online shopping at lunch today." she was nervous, he could tell by the way she kept constantly adjusting her glasses and clearing her throat.

Oliver got in next to her and shut the door as Digg turned and drove out of the parking lot.

After a few minutes of silence he saw her begin to relax, which is of course what Digg had been waiting for. "I hear we're getting a new addition to Team Arrow."

Felicity fell into a massive coughing fit that had Oliver rubbing her back as he sent daggers at Digg's head.

"Yeah, we're...going to keep it. Which makes it sound like a stray cat. Sorry." she said with a shake of her head. He could see the worry and apprehension return as she gnawed her bottom lip. "I know it changes things, in every imaginable way possible, but I'm going to do my best not to let it affect my work or the team. What we do is too important. But no more fieldwork, it's not fair to you guys." she said with a decisive nod

"I just want you to be sure you're doing this for the right reasons." there was something in his voice that shut Oliver out immediately. A private, silent conversation was happening between Digg and Felicity he wasn't privy to. He tried to stay quiet, and not shift in his seat and look at her, but his fists clenched without his consent and he saw her eyes snap over and see it.

A second later she had squared her shoulders and leaned forward to lay a hand on Digg's upper arm. "I'm sure." An entire world being explained in two words and it bothered him more than he cared to admit that he didn't know what it was about.

She looked over at him and tried to give a reassuring smile but it felt hollow, and forced, and he couldn't handle that after what they'd gone through in the small hours of the morning. Whatever had passed between her and Digg left him feeling off balance and he didn't like it. He deliberately turned his attention to the window and was grateful when Digg pulled up out front instead of going through the garage. Suddenly he wanted to be in the relative privacy of his office as quickly as possible.

Digg opened Felicity's door first which was a change and helped her out. Oliver didn't miss the way she'd squeezed his hand as if she had to let him know again she was okay with this decision and not being forced into it.

It took everything in him to not throw his door open himself, but years of training on what was 'proper' and 'expected' of the CEO of a company such as his had him waiting until Digg made his way around.

Oliver climbed out without a word, stony expression firmly fixed and barely looked at either of them as he and Felicity made their way inside.

"Is everything okay?" she asked under her breath as they walked through the main doors to the lobby.

"Everything is fine." he told her in a clipped tone that had her head swivelling. He knew if he looked at her just then she'd be able to see right through him so he kept his gaze firmly fixed ahead of him.

With an irritated sigh she outpaced him by two steps and swiped her employee badge through the scanner for the executive elevator with more force than was technically necessary.

As soon as the doors shut he braced himself for what he knew was coming.

"What in the hell was that?" she demanded, whirling on him as she spoke.

"What was what?" he replied, purposely being difficult.

"Don't play stupid. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You went from your typical borderline growly attitude to Mister Grrr-I'm going to rip your head off, in about thirty seconds flat. So start explaining."

Her bravado vanished in a moment and he saw her studying her shoes. "Look, if you're having second thoughts...I understand. It was late, and you were surprised by what I said and you reacted exactly how I thought you would. So it's okay if you're having regrets. I get it. I do. Sometimes if I think too hard I get so freaked out I have to make myself stop thinking about it before I have a panic attack."

Any bit of anger he'd felt melted away as he took in how affected she looked. Muttering a curse he tipped his head back in frustration at his own behavior and forced everything he'd been feeling away.

Without looking away from her he stopped the elevator and stepped closer. "Hey, I'm sorry." he said softly, and her eyes flashed up for a second to his before dropping again. "I am. I'm sorry." his fingers lightly made contact with her forearm and when she didn't flinch or pull away he moved half a step closer.

He took her elbow carefully in his hand, enjoying the warmth of her skin and the way her breath hitched just a bit when he let his thumb rub over the sensitive flesh at the crook. "I saw the exchange between you and Digg and...I didn't understand it. There was something going on there I didn't know, that neither of you wanted me to know. It didn't sit well with me, but it was no reason for me to take it out on you." Some of the tension eased from her and her head came up so he could just see her eyes over the top of her glasses. "And don't think for a second I'm having second thoughts."

"I wasn't trying to lock you out, but Digg...knows things." she said vaguely, "We had a lot of time just us when you were gone." it was said carefully, like she was worried it would make him feel guilty to be reminded of how he'd left. It did make him feel guilty, but he tramped it down and didn't let it show.

"He was just worried about me, that's all. And I think a part of him believes I'm a bit blind to what all of this means. And maybe he's right but...I can't see another alternative." there was still a hesitancy in her voice and he wondered how long it would be before she truly trusted that he wasn't going to bolt on her.

"I can't either. So no matter how...'borderline growly' I get," he said, deliberately repeating her words because he knew it would cause her to flush, "I need you to trust that I'm all in."

She pushed hair behind her ear and lifted a hand to her glasses before she looked up at him. "I do, I trust you."

Her bottom lip was being worried between her teeth again and the rush of desire it created within him was so strong he knew he tightened the grip he still had on her arm. Without thought his hand came forward and grasped her chin, surprise lighting up her face. He held her gaze for a long moment and then very deliberately used his thumb to ease her lip out. Her eyes widened and he watched, fascinated as the pupils darkened. When he ever so slowly ran the pad of his thumb over the now free bit of painted flesh he was struck hard by a flash.

Pain so bad he thought his head was going to split in two shot through him and all he could do was make a desperate grab for the handrail. He could hear Felicity's concerned shouts, but they were drowned out by the white hot agony of his head and the memory he couldn't stop.

They were in her computer chair at the lair, still mostly clothed as she sucked his thumb into her mouth and swirled her tongue around it lazily. A bolt of desire went through him as his hips thrust northwards. She gave him a wicked grin before sucking the digit into the warm recesses of her mouth one more time. Her fingers walked down his chest until they reached the waistband of his pants. As she slid off his lap onto the floor between his knees there was no doubt in his mind what her intentions were.

Oliver came back to himself with a gasp as the headache gradually throbbed away. He realized with a start he was on the floor of the elevator, his head on something soft as a light touch gently brushed its way through his hair over and over again.

He turned his head slightly to see the bright blue of Felicity's dress and her fingers stilled. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly as he pushed himself onto his fists to see her sitting on the floor, her back leaning against the wall. Her lap had been the something soft he'd been laying on.

A flare of concern went through him and suddenly his hands were working over her, "Did I fall on you? Are you hurt?" he'd gone to his knees, hands coasting over her arms and down until one palm fell solidly over her abdomen.

"I'm fine." she told him, eyes bright. "You dropped straight to the ground. You've only been out for a couple of minutes, but that one seemed bad."

He let out a breath of relief, "It was."

"What did you see?" she blurted out and immediately clamped her lips together in shock. "Never mind! You don't have to...I shouldn't have asked."

They were impossibly close and all he could see were her wide eyes and the way her pulse seemed to jump in her throat. For a split second he thought about telling her exactly what he saw; what they had done. To keep himself from doing something he knew he'd regret he shut his eyes tight and tried to get a handle on his emotions.

When he looked at her again she cleared her throat and gave him a sheepish smile. "I'm going to look into it today. See if I can't find anything about other people having similar reactions."

"You don't…" he began but she shut him up with a look, and he was grateful she'd change the subject.

"Yes, I do. What if it gets worse! What if there is some sort of long term side effect we don't know about." her hand fell over his where it still rested on her and pressed down lightly, "I was dosed too." she reminded him and cold fear washed over him at what she was implying.

In an instant he was on his feet, picking her up as he did so. "Do you think something's wrong with the baby?" the worry gave his voice a quality he'd rarely heard before.

His hands were firmly on her waist as he leaned over her, every muscle on alert to fight an invisible threat.

She gave him a small smile and patted his chest, "I'm not that worried." she said as evenly as possible to counter his reaction.

"How can you know?"

"If there were horrible side effects I think we would have known by now. But I'm going to check for myself just incase."

"Well maybe you should tell your doctor." he countered, not fully understanding how she was taking this so well.

"And tell them what exactly? That I took a highly potent, mind altering experimental drug and I'd like a battery of tests run to determine if everything is fine. Oh, and by the way, funny story, that happened to be the exact reason I got knocked up in the first place. I don't think any of that would go over well and may end up with us getting questions we don't want asked."

"Don't say that." he said stronger than he intended. "Don't say 'knocked up', it...cheapens it."

she was frightened too he understood, except her fear was coming through as sarcasm and trying to control the issue through research because that's what she knew best.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately, "I'll do what I can. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have gone into the ER because of mystery head pains."

He nodded once and stepped back, his hands feeling oddly empty as they fell back to his side.

In unspoken agreement she pushed the button to start the elevator again and they rode the next twenty floors in silence. When the doors opened Digg stood in front of them, hands crossed with an unreadable expression.

"Do I want to know why the elevator was paused between seventeen and eighteen for almost fifteen minutes?" he asked acerbically

Oliver ignored him as they walked by, his hand drawing instantly to her lower back like it had been lately.

"If there's anything on the security camera you don't want seen you may want to take care of that." Digg directed at Felicity and she whirled on him, sputtering in indignation. A rush of heat filled Oliver and he turned as well until he saw Digg chuckling.

"If you two are going to continue to be this easy to rile it's going to take all my fun away."

Felicity let out a low growl and spun around, heels clicking dangerously as she made her way into the office.

Oliver let the anger seep out of him before he shot a side-eyed glance Digg's direction. "It's your ass, man. But I thought you were smarter than that."

He pushed open the door after her and then looked back through the glass to see what probably constituted as a gulp for John Diggle as he contemplated whether he really wanted to antagonize a hormonal, already irritated Felicity.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks so so much for the continued support! Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

Oliver's morning dragged on. Meetings he knew were vital and important did little to catch his interest that day. Mostly he wanted to talk to Felicity. They had so much to discuss. And as much as they had already said he still felt like he was on uneven ground with her.

He caught her staring at him through the glass more than once. The last time he hadn't even been looking, just felt her gaze and when he knew his visitor's attention wasn't on him he lifted his eyes towards her and gave her a knowing smirk. She'd jumped at being spotted and spun her chair resolutely, her back to him as she chose to work on her tablet at the far corner of her desk.

Knowing she intended to use her lunch break to research the effects the drug had caused he texted Digg to order food in. Her recent preference of sugary cereal didn't seem like the best choice anymore.

He had a finance meeting in the conference room and let her know she didn't need to go with him. Her look of gratitude was all he needed. After enduring a painfully boring forty-five minutes of monotone presentations he was glad he'd told her to stay away, there was no need for both of them to be put through that sort of hell.

As he came around the corner he could smell the food he'd ordered, Italian from a place they'd been to a few times.

"Felicity, I know you've been hooked on your marshmallow cereal but I think a more balanced diet would be better for the ba…" he stopped abruptly as he took in the scene in front of him. Digg had just sat the paper bag filled with food on Felicity's desk, as she jumped up, wide eyed with a hand over her mouth to dash to the bathroom and, incongruously enough his sister was standing only a few feet away witnessing the entire thing.

"Thea!" he exclaimed, his body already turned towards following Felicity when a sharp look from Digg made him stop.

"I'll check on her, sir." Digg said easily and disappeared down the hallway.

Oliver gave Thea a smile, trying to ignore the slightly startled expression on her face and his need to go see if Felicity was okay. "What brings you by?"

"I was supposed to have lunch with Walter but he had to cancel so I thought I'd come and see if you were free." her words were a bit slow, as if she was trying to put together everything she'd just seen.

"Well, as you can see we ordered in today but I'm sure there's plenty if you'd care to join me." he snatched the bag off the desk, wanting to get it away from Felicity's area if the smell had made her sick. "Why don't we go into my office."

"Sure…" she said like she could see right through him and he caught the look she threw down the hallway where Felicity had ran, trying to catch a peek at something.

He held the door open for her and then busied himself unpacking the bag, unable to keep shooting glances through the glass every few seconds to see if Felicity had returned.

Thea settled herself on the couch and gave him a wry smile, "You can go check on her if you want."

His head shot towards her and he cursed himself for being so obvious. "I'm sure she's fine."

There were several different pasta dishes, bread that was still warm, and a lone salad that he felt certain Digg had picked up for Felicity just in case. A flash of movement in the outer office proved to be a pale looking Felicity making her way to her desk with Digg right behind her.

Oliver grabbed the salad and one of the other boxes quickly, "I'll be right back and then we can catch up."

Thea just lifted one eyebrow and he could feel her eyes on him as he left.

He made sure to keep his back to his office and block Felicity from Thea's prying gaze as much as possible as he approached her desk. He left Digg's food on a side table and carefully sat the salad in front of her.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, wanting to kneel next to her chair but knowing he couldn't with his sister watching.

She swallowed heavily and gave him an assuring smile, "Yeah, just the garlic was really strong and...wow. Figures your kid would be a troublemaker."

They all froze, all three of them shocked still at her words and it wasn't until Digg crossed the room to pick up his food and leave that Oliver felt like he could breathe again.

She was still beet red and staring very hard at her hands instead of at him. He nudged the salad a bit closer, "Try this, hopefully it won't make you sick."

"Thanks. And I'll get on looking into those side effects now that I've got some time."

His hand skimmed over her back, "We'll go over what you find tonight." he felt a small tremble go through her and pulled his hand back, hoping Thea hadn't seen.

"Oliver, your sister...she doesn't suspect anything, does she?" her face was pinched with worry,

"I don't know, I'm going to try and put her off the scent though."

Just as he turned away she called after him, "Be careful, you're a terrible liar." she reminded him

His hand was on the door as he flashed her a genuine smile, "That's only with you."

When he pushed into the office his sister sat exactly where he'd left her, food untouched and he realized she'd been watching him the entire time. The smile he'd given Felicity morphed into one more easy, but less real. "You should have started."

"And miss the floor show, no way." she replied with a scoff.

Oliver sent her a glare and she held up her hands and gave him a wide eyed innocent look before she pulled the nearest container towards her. "You know, when I told Walter I thought it was strange you'd hired her he said he understood perfectly."

Oliver almost choked on his food and had to pour himself a glass of water before he could question her, "Do I want to know why you were talking to Walter about my choice in executive assistant?"

She waved a dismissive hand his direction as she dug into her meal. "It was after I stopped by here...I don't know, a couple of months ago. I recognized her from the hospital and asked Walter about her. He told me she was in IT until you'd promoted her. Kind of a strange career move, don't you think, big brother?" there was a glint of mischief in her eyes that had been there since she was a little girl, and it almost always meant trouble.

A long, elaborate story was on the tip of his tongue when something made him look up to see Felicity looking at him. "I trust her." he said simply and saw Thea's jaw drop open when he turned back to her.

"Wow. That's quite a statement coming from you." any trace of teasing was gone from her voice.

Oliver sighed and sat back, his food forgotten, "Look, Dad and Mom...when they ran this company...they didn't always make the best choices. They didn't always surround themselves with people who were loyal to them and that they could trust. I might not know everything about being a CEO, but I'm not going to make that same mistake. I need her."

Thea's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline, "Ollie...that's not what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting then?" he asked and would immediately regret it.

"I just figured you were sleeping with her and wanted her around for easy access." she laughed

A mask of fury dropped over his face and he was on his feet before he knew it. "Thea!" he roared as she jumped up as well, hands already coming forward to soothe him.

"Woah, Ollie, I was just teasing you! Calm down!" she patted his chest and pushed him back until he sank down onto the couch again.

Thea perched on the table across from him and laid a hand on his knee, "I'm sorry, I never would have said that if I'd known."

"Known what?" he ground out,

"If I'd known you'd react like that." she said quickly and Oliver was sure she was hiding something.

"I think it's great you have someone you trust. It never hurts to have another set of eyes in this world. I think Mom and Dad both could have benefited from that. I guess that's what Walter meant." her tone was meant to placate him, and he saw through it immediately but he'd prefer to get the topic of conversation off of Felicity so he let it slide.

"How's the club?" he asked obviously and she gave him a knowing look but launched into a long talk about how business had been picking up and some great new D.J she'd scored that was turning out to be a hit.

Thea's phone chimed twenty minutes later and she glanced at it quickly before rolling her eyes. "Ugh, vendor issues, again. I swear, I don't know how Tommy did it half the time."

Oliver couldn't help the sharp pang that went through him at the mention of his friend and Thea gave him a sad smile.

"Come on, Speedy, I'll walk you out."

Oliver tried to resist looking over at Felicity as they walked out, but that proved to be impossible.

"Bye Felicity," Thea called kindly and when there wasn't an answer Oliver whipped his head to the right to see Felicity with a hand raised. The other was pressed to her throat and she seemed to be concentrating hard on just chewing as slowly as possible.

With no thought to the fact that his sister was right there he flew to Felicity's side. "What's wrong?" he asked, worry striking through him that something terrible had happened. One hand lay on her back, the other hovered right over her middle, fingers almost skimming the fabric of her dress.

She held up one finger and didn't seem to be in distress which helped ease some of his panic, but it was another long minute before she finally lowered her hand and blinked open her eyes.

"Sorry, there was an olive in there." she said in disgust as she reached for a mug of tepid tea she'd had from earlier.

"You like olives," he protested

"Well, not anymore apparently." she bit back, "It was all I could do not to get sick again."

"You okay now? I'll make sure there aren't olives next time." he said quickly and he was granted a half a smile.

"I'm fine, and thanks." her eyes flicked up and with a jolt he remembered Thea.

Felicity cleared her throat and sat up as straight as she could, pulling away from the hand on her back, but inadvertently pushing her stomach into his other one. Oliver jumped back quickly and crossed to Thea who was looking much too interested in what she'd just seen.

"Ready to go?" his hand was already on her back, guiding her towards the door.

He escorted Thea to the elevators, fully expecting to be interrogated the entire way, but she kept quiet, which worried him even more.

When he reentered the office Felicity was giving him an appraising look, "Does she…" she began nervously,

"No. I'm sure she doesn't." he said quickly and was treated to one eyebrow arching over the rim of her glasses. "I'm sure."

She gave him a look that said she didn't believe him for a second but she was going to let it pass for now. "Okay then. Your next meeting should be waiting for you in the conference room, do you want me there?"

He looked at her still too pale face and made a decision, "You can stay." he told her and saw the smallest slump of her shoulders. "Did you find anything out about the drug?"

"I did. I'll tell you all about it later, but in the meantime there doesn't seem to be anything to worry about."

Relief flooded through him, "You're sure?" he was more worried for her and the baby than for himself.

"Yes! Now go. Get us some new investors."

"Yes ma'am." he retorted with a smile, grabbing the tablet she held out to him and exiting with a shoulder to the door. The last thing he saw was a soft smile cross her face before she turned back to her computer.

When he returned hours later he did so feeling lighter than he had in weeks. He'd secured at least a handshake deal with a contract to follow and not even Isabel Rochev could find fault in that. But the Felicity he found pacing his office, tablet in hand, clearly worrying about something was not like the one he had left and all his good feelings disappeared.

His pace increased and he was already speaking as he opened the door, "What's wrong?"

She jumped slightly and turned to level him with a look he'd come to fear. "I thought you said Thea didn't suspect anything! We haven't even had twenty-four hours to live with this and your sister is caught shopping for baby clothes! It's all over the web. God Oliver, we haven't even talked about any of this yet. The press, and your family, and what all of it means and now everyone thinks there's a new Queen 'heir' on the way. Oh, and I should add that I really appreciate being relegated to nothing more than a prized broodmare, it's been my life's aspiration I can assure you. Except it's not me, which normally I'd be happy about, but it's Laurel they all think is the one carrying the new 'prince' or 'princess'. I mean, really. I get that your last name is Queen but can't these writers get more creative." she paused for a breath and he slid the tablet from her hand as she fell into his chair arms crossed, clearly unhappy.

The image was one taken from outside a baby boutique not far from the office. Thea was photographed through the window holding up a small shirt. There was an inset photo that was a close up of the shirt and it clearly said 'My Aunt loves me'.

Oliver sighed heavily and leaned back against his desk, hand reaching down to still Felicity's knee. Her foot was twitching so quickly it was a blur.

The article that accompanied the photo only added fuel to the fire.

_'Thea Queen was spotted in a trendy downtown baby boutique today. Although she left without making a purchase our eagle eyed photogs caught the youngest Queen holding up a tiny shirt made just for a new auntie. Is there a new heir on the way courtesy of big brother Oliver? Any happy news for the beleaguered Queen's would be welcome relief. Starling City's royal family has taken a hard hit since the fall of the Glades. Speculation on who could be carrying the newest prince or princess has been running wild in our newsroom with most bets being placed with on again/off again girlfriend Laurel Lance, now with the DA's office. We wish the happy couple well and look forward to more shopping trips with Auntie Thea.'_

Oliver tossed the tablet to the side and pulled out his phone, intending on having a conversation with his sister. As it rang he rubbed small circles over Felicity's knee, still being able to feel the thrum of nerves and energy that ran through her.

"Thea, what the hell were you thinking?" he barked as soon as she picked up.

"Ollie, what are you talking about?" he could hear the faint background noise of the club and knew she was at work.

"I'm talking about you being splashed all over the web looking at baby clothes and making half of Starling City think I'm about to become a father."

There was a long pause and the background disappeared before she replied, "Well, you are about to become a father." she said evenly

Oliver went still, his fingers freezing on Felicity's knee and he didn't move again until he felt her hand over his. "What do you mean?"

Thea sighed, "Don't you think there are enough lies between us? I get if you don't want to tell me officially, or talk to the press, and I'm sorry for getting caught in that store, I didn't mean for that to happen. But Felicity is pregnant and you're the father, so please don't try and tell me otherwise."

"Thea...I…" he sent a look towards Felicity but she was studying the floor and not him. "It's new...it's very new." he didn't know what else to say.

"I gathered," she said without a hint of sarcasm,

Oliver gave Felicity's fingers a squeeze and walked to the window with heavy footsteps.

"Thea you...I'm not keeping it from you or lying but when I say new I mean we just figured out yesterday we were doing this." it felt oddly satisfactory to tell someone, especially his sister.

"Oh wow. I had no idea. God, you must be freaking out. I'm sorry. I'll keep my shopping strictly to the internet from now on, promise."

He let his head press against the cool glass and hoped he was doing the right thing.

"So this goes beyond a 'baby daddy' situation then? Are you two together?" her tone implied she wasn't sure how he was going to answer.

"We're figuring it out." it was all he could give her.

"Don't worry. I'll issue a press release that says I have a friend whose sister is pregnant and I thought she might like it. It'll blow over and no one with think about it again." she promised and he scoffed,

"Yeah, until we actually have to announce it. Something we haven't even had a chance to discuss yet, I might add." his fingers drew over his brow as he felt a headache begin to creep in.

"I just pulled up the article. Ugh, that's a terrible picture. Is Felicity okay? She can't be thrilled with Laurel's name getting drawn into this. Speaking of which you should be prepared for that call."

Oliver turned and saw Felicity lost in thought, nibbling on the edge of one nail as her foot beat out a nervous rhythm again.

He let out a groan as Thea's words resonated with him. He'd definitely be hearing from Laurel.

"Felicity is okay. At least I think so, I haven't really talked to her yet."

"Well maybe you should go do that." she admonished gently,

"Yeah," He almost hung up before a thought struck him. "Thea...how'd you know?"

She understood perfectly, "She makes you smile Oliver. Actually smile. I've never seen you act with anyone like you do when you're with her. And after the puking, and the concerned glances, and the barely being able to keep your hands off her non-existent baby bump I put two and two together."

He was unable to reply and finally she took pity on him. "We should all have dinner. Catch ya later."

The phone slid back into his pocket and he took a moment to stare out at the city.

"We can't even make it five minutes without people figuring it out. I don't know why I thought this would work." the bitter tone that came from behind him was one he'd never heard her use before.

When he turned she shook her head ruefully and regarded him with watery eyes, "And look, not even one day and the city is all abuzz because they think their 'Golden Couple' is having a baby. Do you know how many times this picture has been retweeted?"

He was at her side in an instant, turning the chair slowly until she was trapped between his arms. She looked beaten down, defeated, and he'd never seen her like that before.

"Thea's going to make it disappear. She'll put out a statement saying she was shopping for a friend. The story will drop and that will be then end of it."

"Until it is put out there for real. Unless you plan on locking me in the attic of the mansion to squirrel me and the baby away out of the public eye." her voice cracked, and he could see she was close to tears.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to hide you away. Why would you think that?"

"Well it's going to be such a disappointment isn't it? When the truth comes out and the world knows it's me having your baby and not Laurel." she couldn't even look at him

A wave of anger fell over him, but mostly at himself and poor choices he'd made in the past that left her sitting there doubting him.

Oliver lowered himself to his knees and took both her hands in his, letting them rest in her lap. "Felicity, what's going on? This doesn't sound like you."

She took a stuttering breath and pressed her lips together tight before she spoke, "Who am I?" she said with a sad shrug. "Sure the office romance angle will be interesting at first but it'll die off. I'm sure I'm the last person the PR department would want you with."

"I could care less what the PR department or tabloid rag or random person on the street has to say about us. I told you last night you are the only person I would want to do this with. I wasn't lying to you. I meant that." his phone chose that minute to ring and he intended on ignoring it. He never expected Felicity to slip it from his breast pocket.

Her face fell when she saw who the caller was and his heart sank when she turned it so he could see. "Perfect timing." her thumb swiped over the screen as she handed him the call from Laurel.

He didn't stop her as she pushed out of the chair. Laurel's tinny, distant voice was saying his name as the phone lay limp in his hand and it took no thought at all for him to push 'end'.

Feeling years older than he was he climbed to his feet and saw her standing by the window, arms wrapped around her middle looking small and alone. Without thinking he crossed to her and didn't even give her a chance to respond before he pulled her into an embrace. She fought him for a second and then he felt her weight settle against him.

"Whatever you're thinking. Stop. There is a lot for us to discuss, and some of those things involve PR and reporters and other people. But we don't have to do that right now." he whispered into her hair. "You're the only one I want to do this with." something told him bringing up Laurel's name right then would not be a good idea, but he needed her to know how serious he was.

She sniffled slightly and pushed against his chest, wiping her eyes lightly when he let his arms slide down her back. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I acted like that." she kept her head tilted away from him.

But when he opened his mouth to speak her eyes flashed up in a second, "Don't even think about calling me hormonal, Oliver Queen!"

He gave a light laugh and pulled her back in, "I wouldn't dare."

Her fingers drew small patterns on his chest where her hand had slid inside his jacket. The heat generated from such a simple action took him by surprise. There was so much that was still uncertain, that he didn't have the answers for, but right then, holding her, it didn't seem to matter.

For just a moment he let his eyes fall shut as his hands coasted up and down her back, one hand slipping into her hair to run across the nape of her neck. A tremble went through her and a sort of primal surge struck him at the knowledge that he'd been the cause.

A loud throat clearing broke through the small bubble of calmness they'd created, and when he turned he saw Digg standing in the doorway.

"There's a bit of a media presence downstairs. I suggest we leave now and go through the garage."

Oliver felt Felicity step back, but he didn't let go of her upper arms, "We're aware." he replied sardonically, and tipped his head to where the tablet still lay on his desk.

As Digg crossed to read why the sidewalk outside Queen Consolidated was being inundated with press Oliver looked back at Felicity.

"You okay?" he asked quietly

"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry for…" he cut her off before she could continue.

"Don't." he said, holding her eyes until she nodded.

Digg shot him a look over her head, waving the tablet in the air with a questioning look. "It'll be taken care of." Oliver told him as he crossed to his desk and grabbed what he needed.

Felicity was already in the outer office, pulling her bag from the drawer and powering down her computer.

"She okay?" Digg asked,

Oliver let out a long breath, "I'm not sure either of us are ready for what this is going to bring. But she's okay for now."

That seemed to placate Digg. They rode in companionable silence down to the lobby. When they exited for the short walk to the parking garage elevator he could see the throng of reporters and photographers who were almost pressed against the glass in an effort to get a shot.

Digg walked on their outside, Felicity the furthest from view as they made their way around the corner. As soon as they were out of sight Oliver's hand landed on her lower back.

The car was waiting, and he was glad to see it was one of the ones with the tinted windows, Digg wasn't leaving anything to chance.

They didn't avoid detection as they pulled from the underground structure, but he knew no one would be able to get a picture of them inside the car. One industrious paparazzi tried to follow them on a motorcycle but Digg was able to lose them.

Finally, Oliver sat back with a long exhale, loosening the tie around his neck as he did. Felicity didn't say anything but her hand crept over and laid across his.

Her hand was still there when they got to the lair.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for the continued support! I really love this chapter, although I'm sure most people would say not much happens in it. It's a favorite of mine though. There's a few little surprises. And an easter egg of sorts for those who have read some of my other works. :) Hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think! **

The incident with Thea and the picture vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Shopping for a friend had zero appeal to the masses and when nothing else appeared on the radar the reporters outside the office disappeared.

Their week had been normal but different. Other than Felicity no longer driving to work not much had changed. Oliver was avoiding Thea if at all possible. Somehow having to talk to her in person added a level of realness he wasn't sure they were ready for.

He and Felicity had done a very good job not discussing the baby directly which he realized couldn't continue. He'd ask her how she was feeling or if she need to rest more or what she wanted to eat, and she would answer easily but their words never went beyond that. And if the shopping photograph of Thea proved anything it was that they needed to talk about all of that before it got away from them.

His thoughts had been consumed with everything they weren't saying and he'd been quiet on the ride in. Felicity had looked at him out the corner of her eye but didn't ask, and he thought maybe she knew.

They were out of the office most of the morning at the bank, only Walter's presence making it tolerable. He'd sent Felicity back to Queen Consolidated during a break, catching her drooping eyes and knowing she'd never forgive herself if she fell asleep during a meeting.

Walter and his partners had suggested they continue through lunch and he'd agreed. By the time he made it back to the office it was much later than he had anticipated. He'd had to text Felicity halfway through to let her know he was going to be late. Luckily he had a bit of a cushion before his next appointment but there was going to be no down time that day.

He expected to see her at her desk when he exited the elevator and came around the corner but the outer office was empty. However, he did see the familiar form of Isabel Rochev perched on the couch in his office.

A sound almost like a growl rumbled in his throat at seeing her. The last thing he wanted to do right then was get into a verbal sparring match with that woman. He cut his eyes to his desk and did a quick scan of the space to see that there was no one else there.

Brows furrowed he wondered where Felicity could have gone but there was hardly time to think on that before he had to slip on his mask of easy professionalism and push into his office.

"Ms. Rochev, I didn't realize we had an appointment." he said with just a touch of steel in his voice.

"I didn't realize I needed to make one. Although with the incompetence shown by your poor excuse for an assistant maybe I should." she barely glanced at him, her focus on the files she had spread on the table in front of her.

Oliver bristled at her words, his mouth opening immediately to defend Felicity when something made him stop. He looked again to her empty desk and it didn't sit right with him.

"Where is Ms. Smoak?" he bit out, not even trying to hide his displeasure.

Isabel gave a small sigh and looked up at him with a face devoid of expression. "I'm afraid I don't make a habit of keeping track of lay about assistants who think it's appropriate to sleep on their boss's couch. Although I'm sure it wasn't the first time." her implication was clear.

Hot rage spread through him as he shifted in his spot, jaw clenched. "Where is Ms. Smoak." he repeated, barely holding on to his composure.

Isabel shut the folder she had in her lap and squinted her eyes at him like he was nothing more than an irritating distraction. "I came up to get the latest projections and found her asleep. After I informed her to gather her things and remove herself from the building she disappeared into the bathroom. I assume she's gone by now. HR should be able to find you an assistant who is actually qualified for the position."

Oliver had already taken two steps towards the door when he turned back, finger outstretched, "I have an assistant. She will be staying. And I expect you to be gone when I return. In the future, make an appointment."

He didn't look back and he didn't slow his stride as he headed for the bathroom. When his hand fell onto the locked handle he knew she was still inside.

"Felicity, it's me. Let me in." he said as he rapped lightly on the door.

He held his breath as he waited and when he heard a soft click he pushed through the door.

She sat on the closed toilet lid with a half shredded paper towel in her hands looking sadder than he'd ever seen her.

Oliver locked the door behind him and crouched in front of her, "Hey, you're not fired, she has no right." he said as gently as possible, the anger he felt towards Isabel coming back full force as he saw how upset Felicity was.

Sad eyes flicked to his and he could see where tears had splashed onto the lenses. Her forlorn expression made his gut twist and he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and pulling the glasses from her face.

She looked up in surprise as he took out his pocket square and dried the lenses, tucking the folded frames into his breast pocket until he knew she was done crying.

"What happened?" he asked, finally noticing she looked paler than usual. "Were you sick again?" the morning sickness had mostly gone away he had thought.

She waved her hand dismissively, tiny bits of worn paper falling from her hands to land on her lap. "Just once." she said through a throat still clogged with tears.

Oliver ran a hand over his face and reminded himself that she needed him more than he needed to go have another conversation with Isabel just then.

"Tell me what happened." he encouraged, one hand coming out to take the bits of paper from her and throw them in the trash before they were nothing more than confetti.

Her head shook once like she was going to try and avoid it. "Tell me," he said again with more insistence.

She shot him a small glare and began to talk. "You told me you were going to be getting back late and my lunch was almost over and...I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I've been so tired lately and with the office empty I didn't think there'd be any harm. I even set my alarm for ten minutes. I just needed ten minutes." she said, almost like she felt like she had to justify what she'd done. "And then, of course, because I have the worst luck ever with that woman she just breezed into your office like she owned it." her eyes were on the floor again and a faint flush covered her cheeks.

He'd known she'd been exhausted lately. Most days she didn't even start work in the lair until after she'd had a nap and he'd been fine with that. That's why he'd sent her back early from the bank that morning. For her to sleep on the couch in his office must have meant she'd needed it. A surge of protectiveness grew within him and he didn't stop himself from covering her hands with his. "You didn't do anything wrong." he assured her but she just scoffed.

"Well, Ms. Rochev disagrees. She informed me I was a disgrace to the company and to you. That I didn't know how to comport myself in a professional environment, and that I should gather my things and leave." her voice had grown weaker as she went on, sounding nothing like the strong, capable woman who had no problems going toe to toe with him on a regular basis.

"You know none of that is true." he was shocked she wasn't pacing the floor, arms waving as she ranted about Isabel. He'd seen her get worked up about a lot less.

Her head shook back and forth and tears dripped down her face again. "No. I don't. I know why you put me in that position, but I really don't know what I'm doing. And I'm not used to that. I feel like I'm drowning. I can't make it through the day without feeling so tired I think I'm going to fall over. I worry that at any moment the wrong person is going to notice I'm pregnant. Half the time I feel like I'm doing more to hurt your attempt to save your company than help it. I was the worst person ever to choose to be your assistant and I tried to tell you that but you didn't listen. And if I can't do this then how am I supposed to help you at night. And how am I supposed to be a good mother too? I have never felt like this before in my life and I don't know what to do."

He'd pulled her towards him before she'd finished speaking, her slim shoulders shaking as she wept. He expected her to resist, but she fell into his chest, hands grasping his lapels. Her face buried into his neck and all he could do was stroke one hand over her head and whisper in her ear as her hot tears disappeared into his collar.

When she'd quieted to a few ragged breaths he sat her back and tilted her chin up immediately when she tried to avoid his gaze.

"None of that is true." he said fiercely, needing her to see herself for the person he knew she was. Blue eyes were now reddened and dull.

"Felicity, you are not the wrong person for the job, any of your jobs. You are exactly who I need. Isabel is just looking for ways to undermine me at every turn." he held her eyes waiting to see a spark of life, but saw nothing.

"I'm a terrible secretary Oliver." she protested, "And I'm going to be an equally terrible mother. I can't manage to make it through a board meeting without saying something I'm not supposed to. How am I going to take care of a little person whose entire existence depends on me?" she was getting that high, panicked tone to her voice again.

Before he could consider what he was about to do his eyes dropped to her lips a split second before he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. A strangled noise came from the back of her throat as a warmth flushed through him leaving him slightly light headed. When he pulled back she was staring at him in shock, but that dead eyed expression was gone.

He licked his lips unconsciously, tasting her tears as he waited for her reaction. "Wh...why did you do that?" she didn't even seem to blink as she stared.

"Because I wanted to." he answered immediately, and by the way her mouth opened and shut without any sound coming out he didn't think she was expecting it.

He wiped the rest of her wet face with his thumbs and then gently held her cheeks in his hands. "I've wanted to do that for awhile."

It didn't seem possible that her eyes could get any wider, but they did. She swallowed heavily and finally found her voice. "You have?"

He answered by drawing her closer, his lips moving gently over hers, feeling her soft sigh as her breath brushed across his skin. "Does that answer your question?"

The cocky grin he felt creeping over his face was hard to subdue as he looked at her half lidded eyes and slightly swollen lips.

"Yeah," she said, almost lazily. "Yeah, that's a...a very good answer. Not a D+, no sir. You get top marks there."

"Good," he let his voice lower and felt a shiver go through her as he dropped his hands to her shoulders and then down her arms to take her hands again.

"Don't let Isabel get into your head. You're more tired than usual. You need to take a break when you need to take a break. I told you, there is no one else I would want to do this with and that means everything. The office, the lair, and the baby." when she nodded she'd heard him he let out a breath of relief.

"I'm sorry, she brings out the worst in me, and I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything. It was just bad timing." she sounded stronger and the knot in his gut eased.

"Well, at least with part of this we've still got some time to get used to the idea and figure things out." he said easily, hands itching to feel the small bump hidden by her fuller skirt but holding back.

She let out a laugh, "True, I mean, it's not like someone left a baby at Verdant's back door for us to raise or anything. That would really be crazy."

His mouth ticked upwards at the thought and she returned the smile.

"Better?"

"Yeah," she said softly, "Thanks,"

"How many times have you talked me down? Only fair I return the favor." he countered.

Oliver slid one hand off of hers and pulled his phone out. "I'll call Digg and he can take you home."

"No," she said immediately, fingers dropping down to pull the phone from his grasp. "I don't need to go home."

"Felicity, you need to get some rest."

"I'm okay. I feel better. I do." she insisted, "And besides, if I go home I let her win and...I can't have that." her jaw was set, and something flashed through her eyes he hadn't seen since he walked in there.

"Okay, it's your call." he said as he stood and pulled her to her feet.

She brushed out her skirt, tiny bits of paper floating gently to the ground and when she flattened the fabric he could just see the slight roundness she'd been successfully hiding.

He had to drop her hands and shove his in his pockets. He didn't know how she felt about him touching her. Even though he'd just kissed her twice, touching her belly seemed even more intimate somehow.

When she grasped his forearm and dragged one hand out it was his turn to look shocked. She gave him a small smile and laid his palm on her abdomen. "It's yours too. It's okay to touch."

His exhale was loud and uncontrolled, flying from his chest like he'd just been struck in the back. She waited patiently until he took another breath and then carefully moved his hand around, outlining the bump.

"It's bigger." he blurted out, pressing his lips together as soon as the words were out, hoping she didn't take them wrong. "Sorry. Not much but…" he hadn't expected so much to change in only a few days.

Her light laugh let him know she was okay. "I know. I don't know how much longer these skirts are going to work, a few more weeks to a month probably." there was a hint of nerves and he knew they needed to talk about how they were going to go forward publicly.

"That's something we need to figure out."

She gave him a tight nod but didn't say anything.

"We will, we'll figure it out." he assured her, lightly running his hand over her belly. He gave himself another minute and then pulled his hand back. "Ready to get back to work? My two o'clock is probably here already."

She smoothed her hair one more time and took a deep breath before stepping to the side to look in the mirror. "Yeah, let's do this."

Oliver undid the lock and opened the door for her, grateful no one in the outer office could see them exit the bathroom together.

Her heels clicked a steady tattoo all the way to her desk where she turned her computer back on and made a few keystrokes before she paused and looked towards him with a strange look.

He stood at the corner of her desk and looked at her quizzically as she made her way back around and lifted one eyebrow as she reached a hand inside his suit jacket. Even through his shirt he could feel the heat from her fingers and the small jolts of electricity that shot through him at her touch. When her hand dipped into his breast pocket he remembered he still had her glasses.

She pulled them out with a flourish, but along with it she also pulled the sonogram picture he still carried with him every day.

She recognized it immediately and was already stooping to swipe it up before he could react.

"Oliver," she breathed out, and he could see tears gathering in her eyes again.

He didn't know what to say and could only watch as she folded it carefully and tucked it back into it's place, patting his chest twice before she dropped her hands to clasp behind her back.

She looked like she wanted to say something else but was choosing not to. Instead she leaned her head to the side some and gave him that softly scrutinizing look she had like he was an especially difficult puzzle she was trying to solve.

"You're a good man, Oliver Queen, you deserve a happy story." her words slammed into him like a freight train. His mind fizzing out into nothing but whiteness as her voice rolled over him repeatedly like some sort of antidote, searching out a poison.

When he came back to himself she was behind her desk again, chair turned slightly away from him like she'd known he'd need some time to process what she'd said.

He felt her eyes on him as he made his way into his office. He knew he had a two o'clock meeting but if you asked him later, he wouldn't be able to remember a second of it.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for the fabulous response to the last chapter! Much love to all my ladies for their help and support on this one. **

**Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

It was two nights later in the lair when they finally got a chance to talk, although he hadn't planned it out that way.

There had been no indication that the Triad were back in town. Last he knew, China White was still in custody and her associates were nowhere to be found.

He'd been patrolling a section of the Glades when he heard the scrape of metal on brick. Oliver turned quickly, arrow already notched to see the same clawed henchmen that he'd fought before.

Felicity's concerned cries in his ear were hard to ignore once she heard the signs of the fight over the comms. He heard her yell at Digg to leave for backup. As he ducked under the deadly blades and rolled away he regretted telling his partner to sit that night out.

He'd been holding his own until a searing pain cut across his right bicep and caused his aim to falter. The arrow went high, and the next thing he knew he was being spun before two of the sharpened claws sunk into his back.

He fell to one knee unable to draw a deep breath. Retreat was his only option as he aimed the grappling hook towards a nearby building and fired.

His landing was less than controlled, and for too long he found himself in a heap on the ground struggling to get up.

"Oliver!" he could hear Felicity's high, frantic call and that more than anything forced him to his feet.

He slipped to the shadows as best he could and made his way down the alleyway. "I'm alive, Felicity," he managed to grind out, and her exhale of relief just sounded like static in his ear.

"Digg's on his way," she said in a broken voice.

"He should hurry." Black spots danced in front of his eyes, and he knew he was losing blood too quickly.

She gasped his name again and he hated scaring her. "It's okay," he tried to sound reassuring, but his words came out slurred and he found his feet beginning to stumble and drag.

"He's almost there. Don't you dare leave me, Oliver Queen!"

Tires squealing made him look up as he forced himself to keep moving. Digg's familiar form raced towards him. Oliver managed to stay conscious until he was dumped in the back seat. Felicity's voice was the last thing he heard.

He was only vaguely aware as Digg hauled him down the steps to the lair. Felicity was waiting at the medbay table, pale faced and reaching for him before he'd been laid down. His vision was blurry at the edges, but he could feel her hand wrap around his as she made quick work of unzipping his jacket, pushing the hood back gently, her hand cupping his jaw. He turned into her palm and she let out a gasping sob that she tried to choke back.

His eyes slid shut and he was in and out while they worked above him. Digg's deep voice and Felicity's tight grip on his hand were the only things he could focus on.

Before he completely lost consciousness, he tried to open his eyes one last time. She was handing Digg supplies, tear tracks down her face. Their hands were still joined and she had them pressed into her stomach. Concentrating hard he spread his fingers and rubbed his thumb over the baby. Her eyes flew up and the last thing he remembered was cool lips on his.

The annoying repetitive beep of the heart monitor dragged him from the darkness. With effort he blinked against the bright lights and saw he was still on the table. Shifting slightly he found he couldn't feel anything on the lower right side of his back; Digg must have loaded him up with anesthetic.

Slowly he turned his head and saw Felicity almost at eye level. She seemed to be curled in her desk chair, hand still clasped in his with her feet tucked up under her. A blanket had been laid over her and he knew Digg had done that as well.

"She messed her chair up," Digg said from his other side, and Oliver made the effort to look his direction. He stood a few feet away, arms folded over his chest.

"Better than you or me," Oliver said in a rough voice. The first and only time they'd changed the height setting on her chair they'd regretted it immediately.

Digg gave a slight smile and nodded.

Feeling a bit more awake he cut his eyes over his body. Two lines ran into the I.V. port in his arm, one for fluids, the other for blood. He could just make out the edges of the bandage on his side.

"Didn't hit anything vital then," he said unnecessarily. If he had, Oliver would have bled out internally before they could have gotten him to the hospital.

"The one on your arm will probably cause you more problems," Digg pointed out, and with a sigh of resignation Oliver looked to his right bicep, having forgotten all about that injury. Raising that arm to nock arrows was going to prove difficult for a few days. Digg stepped to the table and made quick work of removing the port.

Ignoring that for now he looked back at Felicity, a wave of helplessness washing over him as it struck him how close he came to dying on a regular basis. If his luck were to ever run out...He needed to make an appointment with his lawyers as soon as possible.

"She okay?" he asked Digg without dropping his gaze from her drawn face; she looked worried even in her sleep.

"She did better than I thought she would." He paused and there was clench in Oliver's gut.

"What?" he demanded.

"Your pressure dropped pretty bad before I got the blood started."

He didn't need to say anything else. Oliver didn't want to imagine what she'd gone through. All he wanted to do was keep her safe, keep her happy. He knew that wasn't realistic all the time, but it was something he could try to achieve.

With slow strokes he began to rub his thumb over the back of her knuckles. He counted each ridge and valley before he reversed direction and did the same thing back the other way. Gradually there were signs she was waking. She turned into the chair and mumbled something he couldn't make out. When he squeezed her fingers and whispered her name her eyes flew open.

She would have fallen from the chair but Digg seemed to have anticipated her reaction and caught the back of it before it could scoot out from under her.

"Oliver!" she exclaimed as she slid to her feet and leaned over him. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Her free hand landed on his chest and the warmth of her skin felt like a brand. Eyes sparkling with fresh tears her fingers trailed down to the bandage at his side, skimming over the edge of the tape before she ran them northwards to go over the one on his arm. They moved so quick he could barely feel her, fluttering like a hummingbird. When they landed on his jaw they stilled, and he could detect the fine tremble that went through her.

"I'm okay," he said, voice finally as strong as he needed it to be.

Her chin wobbled dangerously, and he could see how hard she was trying to hold herself together. Lips pressed so tight they were void of color, she shook her head slightly like she didn't believe him.

Unable to watch her fight a losing battle, he sat up ungracefully and swung his legs over the table towards her, glad for the numbing medication he would have declined if he'd been awake. She stepped back with a gasp until he pulled her into him.

"It's okay," he murmured into her hair as he felt her shake silently against his chest. Slowly she wrapped her arms around his neck and he could feel her nails dig in slightly. He just held her until she pulled back far enough to see his face.

Her hands came forward to cup his jaw, and the heartbroken expression on her face made his head fall forward until they were touching. "I'm sorry I scared you," he breathed out as her thumbs ran soft circles around the edges of his lips.

Looking down he could see how tight she was pressed into the table, trapped between his knees. His hands fell from her back to her waist and then inwards until both palms spread across her middle.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he whispered again. She responded by leaning in and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth and then again full on the lips.

"I'm starting to develop a complex. I seem to only get to kiss you when you're crying."

She let out a stilted laugh. "We should see what we can do about that," she said and stood straight, her hands coasting over his shoulders and coming to rest along his forearms.

The small smile she'd had disappeared, and just as he was about to speak she opened her mouth. "We can't keep putting this off."

"Glad we're in agreement. I'm going to meet with my lawyers on Monday." Her brows drew together in confusion.

"I need to make sure everything is in place to take care of you, both of you, in case…" He didn't finish because of the dawning horror that he saw on her face.

"Oliver…" she choked out.

"This is another one of those non-negotiable things," he said thickly. "But if I do that, then we've got to go public."

She took a shaky breath, and even though he saw unshed tears, they didn't fall. "Okay."

He went to sit up taller and a flare of pain across his right flank tore through him. He tried to stifle a groan, but she noticed.

"Are you okay?" she asked quickly, stepping back to where his hands were forced to lose contact with her as she leaned over the table to try and see the bandage on his back. "It's not bleeding through," she told him.

"Drugs are wearing off," he told her and pushed off the table, leaving a hand on it for support as his feet hit the floor.

"Why don't we save the rest of this conversation for later. Like when it's been more than a few hours since you almost…" Her eyes glazed over for a second, and he didn't want to know what she was remembering.

There was movement behind him and he turned with a grimace to see Digg standing there with his coat thrown over his arm.

"I'll get him home, Digg. Thanks." She looked at him over Oliver's head for a long moment, and once again Oliver had the impression that he'd missed something between them.

"You sure?" Again it was more than a simple question.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," she assured him, and he nodded once before heading out.

He was surprised to hear her say she'd get him home. He could have driven himself if he'd had to, or more likely just crashed on the couch in the lair, but she'd seemed insistent.

When she turned back to him, twisting the fabric of her skirt between her fingers, he saw the deep concern and need to keep him near her and knew he couldn't deny her this.

"Let me change and we can go," he said carefully, ignoring the lightheadedness he felt as he walked towards the bathroom.

Trying to get a shirt over his head proved to be impossible, and with an exasperated sigh he just grabbed a hoodie and zipped it up.

When he emerged, the computer screens were dark and Felicity stood ready, coat on and bag over her shoulder. She was worrying her bottom lip again, and there seemed to be a permanent crease between her eyes that had never been there before.

He didn't stop until he was right next to her, reaching down to grasp her hand. She gave him a strange look. "Are you sure you're alright? Because I expected more protesting and loudness about how you didn't need a babysitter and could get yourself home, and-"

He cut her off by slanting his mouth over hers. When she gasped in surprise he took advantage of the reaction and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. She pushed towards him, her tongue darting out to meet his. A low groan made its way from him when he pulled away. "Maybe I don't want to be alone," he said throatily, and she hummed her agreement.

She didn't say another word as she led him from the lair, and by the time they got to her little red car, he was definitely feeling the wound on his back.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked as she watched him climb into the passengers seat with a barely concealed grimace. "You can't pass out on me. Digg's gone and I won't be able to get you out by myself. Maybe I should have put you in the backseat. I never got around to getting the blood stains cleaned out from the first time…" She trailed off when he let his left hand settle on her knee.

"Felicity. I'm fine."

She gave him a stiff nod and started the car. He hadn't removed his hand, and every time she shifted from braking to accelerating he felt the small movements beneath his fingers. When his eyes grew heavy, that was the only thing that kept him half awake.

Despite his best efforts, he must have fallen asleep. The next thing he remembered, she had his door open and was shaking his shoulder.

"Come on, I need to get you to bed," she said and flushed instantly. He wasn't so out of it that her words didn't strike him, and he was suddenly more awake than he had been.

He didn't respond to her verbal gaffe, and soon enough they were making their way up the front steps, her arm wrapped firmly around his waist, hand just hovering over his wound. It wasn't necessary to use her for support, but he didn't mind the feel of her being so close.

The door opened as they approached and Oliver tensed, moving his arm from over Felicity's shoulders to in front of her in an instant. It took him longer than it should have to realize a member of the house security had opened the door. That meant Thea was home.

"Welcome home, Mr. Queen. Is everything alright sir?" the man asked, Oliver's poor condition evident.

"Bad sushi," Felicity said quickly as they stepped into the foyer. "We will definitely not be going there again, I don't care how many reviews they have on Yelp."

Her covers were better than his, he had to give her that.

"My sister is in tonight?" Oliver asked as the door was shut behind them.

"Yes sir, she arrived home a few hours ago."

"Excellent," he said through slightly gritted teeth. Of course Thea would pick that night to come home when she hadn't spent a night at the mansion in almost two weeks.

"Which way?" Felicity asked under her breath, eyeing the two staircases. He turned them slightly to the left and she wasted no time in getting him near the banister. As he grabbed the dark wood he realized how much he'd been leaning on her afterall.

"Good night, sir," the agent said, and Felicity returned the sentiment for him.

If he thought they'd get lucky and make it to his bedroom without incident, he was sadly mistaken. Just as he was directing Felicity towards his door there was movement down the hallway.

"Ollie?" a half asleep voice called out that he knew could only belong to his sister.

Felicity tensed at his side and tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her. She bit back a gasp and he felt her hand press into the fabric of his hoodie, pull away and then press in again.

Oliver bit back a groan at her action but had to school his features quickly as Thea approached.

"You're not drinking for two are you?" she asked, cutting an appraising eye over his slightly hunched over posture and less than put together appearance.

"Bad sushi," Felicity said once again, but this time her voice sounded thin. With a start he realized this was the first time she'd seen Thea since she'd figured out about the baby.

"Ugh, that's horrible," she wrinkled her nose in disgust and then turned horrified eyes on Felicity. "You didn't eat any did you? The baby?"

A small choking sound came from Felicity's throat but she recovered quickly. "Uh...no. Just a California roll for me," she stuttered out.

"Oh thank god!" Thea came closer to stand in front of Felicity. "I know we don't know each other very well but...could we do lunch soon?" Oliver was taken aback by how genuine his sister was being, and a small flare of pride went through him.

Felicity pushed her glasses up her nose and gave Thea a small smile, "I'd like that."

"Great. It's a date then. But maybe we'll skip the sushi," she said with a wink. "Feel better big brother." She went to hug him and then thought better of it.

They waited in the hall until she'd disappeared back into her own room.

Felicity was unnaturally quiet as they made their way to his bed.

"You okay?" he asked, not sure how she was feeling about Thea bringing up the baby so casually.

"It's alright if I go to lunch with her, right?" She was nervous, he realized.

He stopped and looked towards her. "Of course, why would you think it wouldn't be?"

She shrugged as best she could with her arm around him but didn't meet his eyes. "I don't know it's just...she knows but we haven't talked about all of that and I don't know what she thinks or what we're doing and…"

He sighed and brushed his lips over her temple. "We're going to get all that figured out."

"I know, we can't put it off any longer."

"No, we can't."

"But we can put it off long enough for you to get better." She tugged on the hand draped over her shoulder and led him to the bed.

"Just sit here for a second and let me look," she said once they reached their destination and she'd pushed him down on the edge. "I think you're bleeding through" She flashed up the hand she'd had wrapped around his waist and he saw a smear of red staining her palm. Now he knew what she was doing in the hallway.

Her hands were surprisingly steady as they unzipped the hoodie and pulled it off his good arm before carefully taking it from his right. There was something so intimate about her casually undressing him. She tossed the now soiled fabric onto a nearby chair and pulled a face when she looked at his bandage. "Yeah, it bled through. Do you have more supplies?"

He directed her towards the bathroom, and when she came back he'd toed off his shoes and peeled the original gauze and tape off as best he could. The wound throbbed white hot and every movement sent flares of pain all along his side.

Felicity gave him a look when she saw the half removed bandage and took the rest off quickly. "Stitches look good. Just this one part Digg didn't think was too deep won't stop bleeding," she explained as she dabbed on a numbing ointment and covered it up again.

"There," she said as she pressed the last bit of tape down tight. "Not as good as Digg but it should do." He'd been trying to ignore how her every touch sent small bursts of electricity through him. His head was already spinning enough without her closeness adding to it.

She rested a hand on his shoulder and reached behind him to pull the covers back. His hand came up automatically and settled at her hip to help her balance. When she felt his fingers fan out over her side seeking out the the slight roundness of her belly she stilled and looked down at him like she'd just then noticed her position.

Felicity stepped back quickly and knotted her fingers together in worry.

"What's wrong?" His brows knitted together as he saw how anxious she looked.

Tears filled her eyes and she swiped them away angrily. "I don't want to go but...I don't know if I should stay and I'm…"

"I told you I wanted you to stay," he reminded her, and she nodded her head that she remembered.

"I know, but you'd just lost a lot of blood and.."

"Felicity. Please stay."

"Only if you'll actually rest," she bartered, and after leveling her with a look, he gave a resigned sigh and nodded once. "Good, because I already cancelled everything for tomorrow." She gave him a secret smile at having tricked him.

He retaliated by snaking out a hand and pulling her towards him faster than she could blink. She caught herself on his chest, breath coming in short little pants as she stared at him wide eyed.

"You can change in the closet. Help yourself to whatever you want." His lips just brushed her cheek as he spoke, and he felt how her fingers dug into his flesh. She was so close he could barely see as her eyes fell shut, dark lashes fluttering before she opened them again and pushed back.

She was silent as she moved away from him. When she turned and headed into the bathroom he watched her go and was struck almost dumb by the idea of her doing that every night and every day.

He still hadn't moved when she emerged and her brow wrinkled in worry. Pulled from his thoughts he slid onto the bed and settled against the pillows. She gave him a grateful smile and disappeared into the closet.

Once he was laying down the exhaustion he'd been shoving aside hit him hard. His eyes grew heavy regardless of how hard he tried to fight it.

A tiny cough made his eyes fly open and he blinked in surprise to see Felicity standing near the foot of the bed. She was shifting from one foot to the other as she tugged at the hem of the shirt she wore. The breath caught in his throat as he took her in. Blonde hair spilled over her shoulders. Shoulders that were covered by one of his white dress shirts. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

She'd rolled the sleeves a few times and the top three buttons were undone. There was enough fabric that he couldn't see any sign of her belly and his mouth went dry at the expanse of leg that extended out from under the tails of the shirt.

"The sweatpants were falling off, even with this…" she smoothed a hand over her middle and for a second he thought he could see the bump before the material bloused out again. "And I was kind of cold so I wanted the sleeves…" she trailed off as she finally met his eyes. "Oh," she said softly once she spied the desire he was unable to hide.

"I hope it's okay," her voice was slow and soft.

"It's very okay." Her pupils darkened at his tone, and she was drawn closer but still looked hesitant about joining him.

"Felicity, get in the damn bed." The gravelly sound he emitted made her gasp, but she was moving.

She climbed in without looking at him until she matched his position, laying stiffly beneath the covers.

His head was turned her direction and when she looked over at him she burst out in nervous laughter.

"Sorry," she said immediately, hand coming up to cover her mouth.

The sight of her in his bed was not something he wanted to laugh at, and if he hadn't been in pain and still suffering the effects of major blood loss, he wasn't sure what he would have done in that moment.

"Come here," he said in a tone that sounded more like an order than a request or suggestion. The smile slipped off her face and the look she gave him made him clench his fists and curse his injury.

Almost shyly she shifted near, and when he lifted his good arm in invitation she only hesitated for a second before she brought herself flush against him.

The long bare length of her legs pressed into his and he found himself clutching a handful of the shirt she wore in reaction. Slowly she lowered herself down until her head rested against his shoulder and her hand lay still on his chest.

He knew she'd be able to hear how fast his heart was beating and he was glad for it. With a strained wince he reached over and turned the light off next to him plunging the room into darkness.

Felicity shifted closer to him as he used his good arm to wrap around her back, coming to rest at her waist. She didn't wait in grabbing his hand with hers and pulling it up higher until they both rested against the side of her abdomen.

Neither of them said another word as they fell asleep to his fingers drawing patterns across her belly.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you! I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the love this story is getting. Sorry for a bit of a wait, but a distracted muse, and NaNo, and life all conspired the past couple of weeks. Back on track now. Weekly updates should resume. **

**So enjoy! And please, let me know what you think!**

Oliver woke up twice that night. The first time it was due to a face full of hair. Felicity had turned in his arms at some point and was using his left bicep as a pillow as she faced the other side of the bed. He'd curled around her, knees tucked behind hers as his hand rested lightly on her hip.

Fire burning across his right arm he gritted his teeth as he reached up and brushed her hair out of the way before he leaned in closer, lips grazing her exposed shoulder where the shirt fell open. She sighed and shifted back against him, making him hold her just a bit tighter as his eyes slid shut and sleep claimed him again.

The second time he woke, faint morning light bled through his heavy drapes and the bed was cold next to him. Oliver pushed himself upright and regretted it immediately when his right arm buckled under him and a flare of pain tore across his side so bad he felt sick for a moment.

With a muffled curse he shoved aside the pain and lurched to his feet. A quick glance around the room let him know her shoes and bag were still there which calmed his pounding heart some. She hadn't snuck away.

By the time he'd managed to pull on a t-shirt and make his way back across the space he wasn't feeling as badly as he had when he'd woken up. The bathroom was empty and while the house was massive there weren't that many other places she could have disappeared to.

Still in barefeet he made his way silently down the upper hall and took the back staircase down to the kitchen.

Soft, low voices greeted his ears when he reached the bottom and the sight that met him was enough to make him think he was still sleeping.

Felicity, still in nothing but his white dress shirt sat at the large center island next to his sister while Raisa busied herself at the stove. There was an easy conversation flowing amongst the three of them and he took a moment to just lean against the wall and watch.

Felicity was laughing at something Thea had just said and when Raisa turned and nodded her agreement he had a sneaking suspicion they were telling stories about him.

He was content to stay silent and observe. This scene before him was not something he thought he'd ever get a chance to have. Family. Not just of blood but of choice. His eyes shut tight as an image of a little girl, blonde pigtails flying as she ran through the kitchen, tugging on Raisa's apron to beg for a treat, cut across his mind. It almost took his breath away how not strange that felt.

When he looked up he saw Felicity studying him. Something must have shown on his face because the beatific smile she gave him made his heart stutter.

His lips turned up at the corner at being caught but he still didn't move. She looked him over, eyes resting exactly where his bandages were and he gave her a small tilt of the head to let her know he was okay.

As she tore off a bit of croissant and popped it in her mouth his brows twitched and he asked a silent question of his own as his eyes dropped from the food in her hand to her stomach.

A spark lit her face and she waved the baked good at him happily. She wasn't feeling sick that morning.

"Master Oliver!" Raisa called when she spotted him, "Are you feeling better?"

Thea turned as well and he had no choice but to push off the wall and leave his post. "I am, thank you Raisa." he said kindly,

He stepped into the space between Thea and Felicity, his sister giving him a broad grin. "I was just regaling Felicity with some prime Oliver Queen childhood exploits."

He groaned good-naturedly and turned to give Felicity an innocent look, "I'm sure none of it's true."

"Now, now Master Oliver. What did I always tell you about telling lies." Raisa waved a spatula his direction and he held his hands up in mock surrender,

"Alright, maybe some of it's true." he admitted and caught Felicity giggling behind her hand. He was somewhat surprised to see her so at ease here. After her anxiety the night before at the mere thought of going to lunch with Thea something seemed to have changed her mind.

"Sorry, not sorry, Ollie." Thea said, "But if 'Lis is going to be around for a long time she needs to know these things." She'd emphasized the words 'long time' and he realized it was her way of telling him she hadn't spilled the news to Raisa. She was protecting them and letting them do this in their own time.

He gave her a grateful look that she accepted with an arched eyebrow that clearly announced her exasperation at her loyalty being questioned.

" 'Lis?" he asked, eyes cutting between Thea and Felicity

Felicity gave him a shy smile, "She said my name was too long. It's okay, I don't mind." Thea beamed back and with a start he thought about a future where his sister and Felicity were thick as thieves. It was enough to make him gulp.

Eyes sparkling with mischief Felicity grinned up at him as if she'd just read his mind. Before he could stop himself he dropped a kiss to her lips, his turn to grin as she sat back in surprise.

"Since you've declared I'm taking today off why don't we take a tray upstairs." if he was being forced to rest that day he'd make sure she did the same. The slight quirk of her mouth let him know she was on to him.

Raisa made quick work of preparing a breakfast spread that would rival any five star hotel. When she asked if Oliver would like eggs he saw the way Felicity's nose wrinkled at the thought and declined the offer.

"Well, some of us are actually working today." Thea said as she slid off the stool. "Bye 'Lis, bye Ollie. Thanks for breakfast Raisa!" she called as she scurried from the room, Oliver watching as she left.

When he looked back Felicity was finishing her croissant, "When did that happen?" he meant the newfound relationship between the two women.

She just shrugged easily as she sipped the last bit of her coffee. "It's amazing how much we have in common once we start swapping stories about your less than well thought out decisions." she said cheekily, but he knew she wasn't telling the entire truth.

Raisa handed the tray over and just as he was taking it she held a finger up and asked him to wait. Moving quickly she was back in a few moments, setting a glass of milk in the center. "For Miss Felicity." she said by way of explanation.

Oliver thanked her and looked at Felicity in confusion at her slightly flushed expression. "Ready?" she just nodded and followed him as they made their way back upstairs.

She was too quiet until they were in the hall outside his room when she suddenly blurted it out, "Raisa knows!"

His head whipped to look at her, "What? No. Thea wouldn't say anything."

Felicity bobbed her head up and down, hands twisting in the sleeves of the too big shirt that had come unrolled and now hung past her fingertips. "She does. Look at the tray, Oliver. A perfectly balanced meal without being too heavy. Nothing that has strong smells. And not to mention she stopped you to get a glass of milk. For me. She knows."

Felicity pushed the door open for him and crossed to the bed, climbing in and sitting cross legged as she waited for him. He had planned to put the tray on the table between two chairs but seeing the ease with which she'd gotten into his bed made his heart stutter.

He slid the tray across the sheets, covers still pushed to the footboard from earlier and she immediately began eating from the bowl of fruit, face contorted in anxiety.

"I don't get it. Do I have some sort of sign that flashes across my forehead? I know I'm not big enough for anyone to notice. I mean, I worry about that, but I know I'm not. So what is it? How do people keep figuring it out?"

"It's not people, it's Thea and Raisa." he conceded she was right, but that woman had always known everything that happened in the house so it wasn't that surprising to him. "And that's why we need to figure out how to announce this. We need to be the ones in control, no one else."

She nodded her agreement, but still looked apprehensive. "Thea was being so nice to me. She apologized for the baby store thing, wanted to make sure I was okay. Said she was excited about being an aunt." she gave him a small smile an Oliver was taken aback. He'd kept avoiding talking to his sister, but maybe he shouldn't have been so wary.

"I don't think I really appreciated how hard all of this was for you. I mean, the lying about the Arrow stuff...that's hard, but...the personal aspect of it." she shook her head and wiped her fingers on a napkin, fiddling with the edge of it as she continued, "Thea thinks we had some sort of romantic tryst, some sort of late night at the office thing, that there was something there before…" her hand waved across her middle, "well, before the baby. And I had to let her think that. Because I can't tell her I was dosed with a mind altering drug when I went undercover at a rave in order to plant surveillance tech." she sighed heavily and leaned back against the pillows, finally looking up at him. "It's hard."

A pang of guilt ran through him, he'd never wanted her to experience this. He knew it was difficult enough what he asked of her, but to have to hide something so personal, to have to always be on guard with people you wanted to be able to be honest with. It did something to you deep inside and he'd never wanted her to carry that burden.

"Don't think that there was nothing there before. There was. I cared about you. But...I couldn't allow myself to think like that. I couldn't let myself consider becoming close with someone who could matter. And there were too many secrets...it wouldn't be fair." he knew his words weren't adequate, that he wasn't explaining himself like he wished he could.

His attention was drawn to her long bare legs as she shifted, stretching them out in front of her, snagging another croissant off the tray before she lifted suddenly bold eyes his way. "I know your secrets."

His mouth went dry and he had to take a swallow of coffee before he could speak, "You know more than anyone else." he confirmed, "I'm glad this happened, in a way. Not how I would have chosen. Being able to remember would be nice." that caused her to flush like he knew it would, "But I don't know how long I would have waited if it hadn't. Maybe too long."

He'd never considered that before. Would she have ever given up on him? He'd like to say no, but he knew everyone had their limits. He never would have blamed her.

"Not possible." she said softly, "You're worth the wait."

He was at a loss for words, again struck by how lucky he'd been to have her in his life. When he felt cool fingers brush the back of his hand he saw her waiting patiently, not worried about his lack of response.

"So, letting the cat out of the bag. How do we do that?" she was sitting up a bit straighter and slowly tearing off bits of flaky pastry a bit of raspberry filling leaked out and the sight of her licking it off her thumb sent a bolt of desire through him so quick he had to cover up his reaction with a fake cough.

"I'll call a meeting with the lawyers first thing tomorrow. I want the wills changed and trusts set up." her eyes clouded at the thought but he wasn't going to change his mind about that. "I'm not taking any chances." he said firmly and she gave a reluctant nod.

"After that the legal team will know, but won't be able to say anything. I think we should talk with PR. They've been working overtime since the Glades, they'll probably be grateful for a new story."

"Can I...be there? And do we have to put it out immediately? I don't really know how all of that works. I don't know if we'd have to or if we could wait longer. My doctor said most people don't even tell until the first trimester is over just in case something goes wrong."

He must have paled at the thought because her hand was covering his again. "Everything is fine. Don't worry."

He squeezed her fingers in thanks, "Good. And we can wait as long as you like. I don't want you to feel pressured about any of this. I wish we could just be normal and not have to deal with things like PR teams and press briefings."

"It's part and parcel of being a Queen, I get it." she said before her jaw dropped open in shock, hand snaking back to her lap. "Not that I was suggesting I was a Queen or should be a Queen or…" she shut her eyes tight and he knew she was counting down in her head.

A rough hand scraped over his head and he blew out a long breath before she opened her eyes again. That was something he couldn't think about right then. But he knew the PR team would want to.

"No...it's going to come up. If PR doesn't ask the press will." he was talking around the subject, but by the way she looked like she was about to jump out of her skin he didn't think she could handle him addressing it directly.

"Oliver...that is...wow. That is really not something we want to talk about right now, is it?"

"How about we just tell them we're trying to figure things out?" the way her shoulders collapsed forward in relief let him know she agreed.

"Yes!" she blurted out, louder than she had intended, "That sounds great. And also not a lie for once so go us." she did a small fist pump, causing the edge of the croissant to brush against the side of her mouth. She gave him a sheepish smile and wiped at the red smear, sitting the pastry down to use her napkin.

There was one small spot she'd missed and before he could stop himself or consider his actions he found himself leaning forward and swiping the last bit away. Felicity gasped audibly making him freeze, and he couldn't have looked away if he wanted to. Her eyes darkened and he could tell her breathing was quickly getting out of her control.

Moving slowly he let his thumb drag dangerously close to her lip. Her eyes darted from his eyes to his mouth more than once and he took her unspoken hint, tilting in until his mouth was only a hair's breadth from hers.

Her cry of pain as she grabbed her head and began to collapse to the side was not what he was expecting. Both hands pressed into her temples and her eyes were closed tight. He caught her by the forearms and let her sink into his chest as panic flared through him. She was having a flash he realized and there was nothing he could do for her.

Never had he felt so helpless, she was shaking in pain and he was unable to take it away. Drawing her closer he cupped a hand behind her head and stroked over her hair, his other arm banded about her trying to keep her protected even though he knew he couldn't make it stop.

It was a long three minutes before she finally went slack in his arms, her breathing was ragged but beginning to even out and her hands had fallen limp against him. Moving carefully he pushed the tray aside with his foot and slipped an arm under her legs to bring her closer to him. The stitches across his back protested but he ignored them.

Her face shifted against his chest as she groaned. "Oliver…" her voice was weak and confused sounding.

"Shhhh, I'm right here. Don't try and move too much." he knew from experience it didn't take long for the pain to go away. His hand traced from the side of her head around to pull hair out of her eyes and brush across her cheek. She turned into his touch and sighed.

"Sorry, that one was bad. We were in my chair in the lair. It must have been your thumb on my lip that…"

Oliver went rigid beneath her as he realized he knew exactly what she was talking about. He'd had that same flash and he knew how it ended. Desire and heat flooded his veins and he had to take a deep breath through his nose to not flip her over and reenact that memory right then.

She'd gone dead silent when she noticed what she'd been telling him, her fingers curled in his shirt, now too embarrassed to move.

"It's okay," he began but she was suddenly sitting up, struggling to get out of his embrace.

Her eyes swam with tears and he watched in horror as all the blood drained from her face. He was two steps behind her when she sprang from the bed and ran for the bathroom.

There was a sickening crack as her knees hit the marble floor a half a second before she lost her breakfast in the toilet. He didn't waste any time grabbing a towel and hovering a foot behind her. When she kept retching even though there was nothing left to come up he noticed how pale and shaky she was and only just managed to wrap an arm around her from behind before she fell over.

"Felicity!"

"'m okay" she mumbled as she sank back against him. He wiped her mouth quickly and they sat there until it didn't seem like she was going to be sick again. When he brought her to her feet supporting the majority of her own weight didn't seem to be something she was capable of right then. She leaned heavily on the counter as she rinsed her mouth, and when he saw her half-lidded eyes in the mirror he simply picked her up and carried her back into the bedroom.

Oliver came to a halt three steps in when he saw Raisa moving the tray and straightening the covers. She took one look at him and made quick work of pulling the duvet back down.

"Poor dear. I've left a special tea for Miss Felicity. It will help the nausea." she said knowingly,

For a moment he thought about playing dumb but he knew there was no point. "Raisa-" he began but she cut him off with a raised hand.

"Master Oliver, you don't need to explain. I know you care for this girl and you care for your baby. That's all I need to know." she gave him the same soft smile she'd been giving him since he was a little boy getting into trouble at every turn.

Just before she exited the room she turned back and looked at them, "It will be nice to have a little Queen running these halls again. It's been too long."

"Told you so." Felicity muttered from her spot nestled against his chest,

He didn't reply as he made his way to the bed and lowered her carefully. Her eyes were shut as he lay her back on the pillows. "I'll try some of that tea if you don't mind." she still looked washed out and exhausted.

He sat at her hip and carefully picked up the mug to hand to her, hands close by in case she dropped it.

After several sips she passed the mug back and let her hands fall across her middle. "What happened?" he asked, unable to keep from reaching out and trailing fingers over her forehead and down the side of her face under the premise of pushing hair out of her way.

"The flash. It's made be feel sick before but never like that. Figures. First morning I keep a decent breakfast down…" she sounded tired, her words beginning to slur.

"Go back to sleep. We can try brunch later." he said with forced levity but he was rewarded with a lazy upturn of her lips.

As he rose her hand came out and searched for his. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"Not a chance." he assured her,

His back was screaming at him. A bandage change and possibly a narcotic were in order, but he'd dealt with worse before. As he slid in next to her she immediately curled into his side, her head coming to rest on his chest.

Oliver lay awake for a long while just holding her thinking how easy it would be to get used to having her with him like that all the time.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks again for all the support for this story! This may be the last new chapter of 2013. Hope everyone understands how crazy this time of year is and I don't want the next chapter to get lost amidst the crazy of the next two weeks. So, enjoy! And have no fear, there will be new chapters soon. Let me know what you think!**

He woke up to cool fingers on his back and jerked up quickly before he realized it was Felicity, now pushing on his arm to get him to lay down again, carefully avoiding the stitches on his bicep.

"Sorry, thought I'd get a chance to finish with you still asleep." she said by way of explanation, "And I did not mean for that to sound as creepy as it did."

He turned to look over his shoulder, a long fall of hair blocking her from his view as she bent over behind him, smoothing down the last bit of tape.

"Bandage change." she said as she stood and pushed her glasses up her nose.

The dress shirt was gone, replaced with the clothes she'd been wearing the day before. It struck him hard how much he missed seeing her out of something that was his.

Rolling over carefully he found her sleeve and gave it a tug. With a small smile she propped a hip on the bed and sat lightly on the edge. She didn't touch him though.

"I should get going." she answered the unasked question and a pang went through him. He didn't want her to leave. He liked having her there.

"You don't have to go." he blurted out, her eyes going wide at his words.

Her hand tangled with is and he felt tension leave his body he didn't even know was there. "Oliver, this...with us...it's good so far but…"

"But?" that didn't fill him with hope,

"I like it here. A little too much I think." she admitted, faint pink tinting her cheeks, "But a lot has happened in a very short time. I don't want to mess this up. It's too important."

She was right. The rational, logical side of him knew it, but the other part of him wanted to throw caution to the wind and go all in, immediately. He'd listen to reason though. She was worth it, and he already asked too much of her.

He gave her a nod and suppressed a wince as he raised his hand to trace lightly over her cheekbone. "You're too important."

Her head ducked, allowing his fingers to slip into her hair, rubbing gently across her scalp. She hummed in appreciation and he filed the information away for later.

When she leaned forward and brushed her lips over his he was surprised. His hand fell down her shoulder and over her back before coming to rest at her waist. Her sucking his lower lip into her mouth made him dig his fingers in lightly as a low rumble grew in his chest. She bit down gently and then pulled back with a pleased look on her face. He'd need to file that away for later as well.

"I'll see you tomorrow." she whispered, kissing him once more before she was on her feet and heading for the door. "Actually try and stay in tonight. No training. Please." she was gone before he could respond and he laid back with a slight huff.

After she'd left he'd been surprised to discover it was already mid-afternoon. He had a text from Digg asking how he was that Felicity had apparently already replied to. There was a voice mail from Isabel Rochev that had come in only a few minutes prior and he wondered if she had sent texts as well that Felicity had deleted on his behalf.

It didn't take long to set up the meetings he wanted for the next day. He honestly wasn't sure how he could ensure her security since she wasn't legally a Queen, but he trusted that his attorneys could do what he needed done.

He rarely had free time on his hands and he itched to return to the lair, a long workout the only thing he could think that might stop his thoughts from straying to images of Felicity being with him there, in his home every day. She was right though. Things had moved quickly. His own response to what had happened surprised him.

For her sake he tried to take the rest of the day off, but after a few hours he found himself grabbing his keys and heading out the door. He couldn't say he didn't try. He eyed the salmon ladder when he arrived at the dark lair but knew all he'd do would be rip out his stitches and incur not only the wrath of Felicity, but Digg as well.

Soon he found himself lost in the process of crafting new arrows. It was something he often found tedious, but right then it was exactly what he needed as he allowed his mind to go blank to focus on his task.

When they picked Felicity up the following morning she looked nervous, her coat pulled tight around her. "What time is the meeting?" she asked by way of greeting when he opened the door for her.

"First thing." he replied and saw her eyes go wide in response.

"Oh, um, okay then. I guess we're doing this." she said in slight disbelief after she'd climbed in. He didn't hesitate to cover her hand in his as they pulled away from the curb.

He knew she was worried. This was the first time they were purposely telling people and he knew there were going to be questions that were going to be difficult to answer.

They rode in silence as they approached the city, the closer they got the more nervous she became.

"Are we going to them or are they coming to us?" she asked, worrying her bottom lip as she looked everywhere but at him.

"We're going to them. I thought my family's personal attorney's filing through the QC lobby might be a little suspicious."

"Right. Good point. I just…" she cut a look over to him and then shied away, drawing her lips into a thin line to keep from speaking.

"What?" he prodded

"I know you're going to do what you feel you need to do for the baby, but...I just…" she blew out a long breath and ducked her head before she continued, "I just don't want you to feel pushed to do the same for me."

He stared at her, slightly stunned. Her selflessness was not a surprise to him, he should have expected it, but it struck him hard to see her doubt her own importance to him.

"Felicity, hey…" he said, waiting until she raised her eyes to his. His hand came out and gently brushed across her cheek, "I don't feel pushed. I need you to be taken care of, as much as I need the baby taken care of, okay?" he hoped she understood what he was saying,

"Okay," she replied softly and remained silent, something that wasn't like her, but they were pulling up in front of the building and there wasn't any time to continue the conversation any further.

Digg's eye caught his in the rearview mirror and he thought he saw a slight look of approval which made him feel like he was doing the right thing even if she didn't seem to understand why.

He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back, helping to loosen the knot in his gut he hadn't even known was there.

The door opened and he stepped out, buttoning his jacket as he gave her an encouraging smile and helped her from the car. He held on to her fingers as she tried to pull away and turned to see her looking at him in surprise.

"It's okay," he assured her, leaning in close so he could whisper in her ear, "We need to start being seen together."

"Right." she replied, still looking a bit shell shocked at what he'd just dropped on her.

"Sorry, I should have mentioned that earlier." he said with a slight grimace.

"Yeah, that might not have been a bad idea." there was a bit of fire back in her voice he was glad to hear and he couldn't help grinning,

"Maybe you'll let me make it up to you by taking you to lunch when this is over."

She lifted wide eyes in his direction and then narrowed them as she considered what he'd just said, "Wouldn't that just be a way for us to be seen together?" she asked suspiciously

"Yes, but I also just want to have lunch with you." he said honestly, and enjoyed the slight flush that crossed her cheeks.

She was about to respond when Digg's voice cut through to both of them, "Mr. Queen…"

Oliver's head shot up to see Digg standing to his right looking smug, one hand outstretched towards the front doors of the office building they were currently standing in front of. With a jolt he realized he and Felicity had been so focused on each other they'd forgotten where they were.

Felicity cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses before she tried to pull her hand away from him but he wouldn't let go. She gave him half an eye roll and without a word started walking for the door.

They managed to make it through the lobby and to the elevator without being spotted. A woman who got off two floors before they did wasn't so subtle about the double take she did when she realized who she was standing next to, nor did she try and hide how she stared at Felicity.

"It's going to be okay." he told her when it was just the two of them again. Felicity let out a shaky breath and continued to stare straight ahead.

The doors opened and he directed them to the left down a long corridor. She clung to his hand like it was a lifeline and when a voice from behind them called out his name she jumped a foot and pressed her free hand over her heart in shock.

Oliver pivoted to see Jean Loring, his mother's defense attorney making her way towards them.

"Oliver, I'm sorry, did we have an appointment or were you just stopping by? You know I'd be happy to talk to you about your mother's case anytime." she stopped a few feet away and he didn't miss how her sharp eyes cut over Felicity and their joined hands.

"Jean, ah no actually I'm here to see my attorney. I'd forgotten you were in the same building." he said easily,

Jean looked to Felicity again and he realized he had no choice but to introduce her. "I'm sorry, Jean this is Felicity Smoak my…" he trailed off, his mind going blank for a moment as he scrambled to figure out how to present her.

"Your assistant right? I believe we've talked on the phone." Jean finished for him, although there was a look in her eye he wasn't sure about.

"That's right Ms. Loring." Felicity answered,

Jean studied them for a moment longer and then held him in her shrewd gaze, "Oliver, if whatever you're doing here could affect your mother's case in any way what so ever I think we might need to set up that appointment."

Her words hung between them and he was only slightly aware of how limp Felicity's grip had gone in his own. Jean was right. Them announcing the pregnancy could very much affect the trial, good or bad, and it was just one more thing he hadn't thought of.

Pulling himself together he gave Jean a tight smile and nodded his head, "We'll be in touch Jean."

"I'm always available Oliver." she said once more before saying goodbye and leaving them standing in the corridor alone.

All the blood had drained from Felicity's face, "Oh god, Oliver...I didn't even think about the trial."

He ran a soft hand over her arm and pulled her towards him, "I didn't either. It'll be fine though." but he didn't know if he was saying that more for her benefit or his own.

"But it's your mother and what if this hurts her case or just brings more attention to you and your family in a bad way and…"

He turned fully until his feet bracketed hers and he could hold her as close as he dared in a such a public space, "And why do you continue to sound like this is your fault?"

He watched her process what he said and shake her head lightly, "I don't know," she answered honestly, "This just affects you more, with both your lives and...I don't know, I guess I just feel like my main job is making your life easier, and this doesn't make anything easier." she said with a vague sweep across her middle.

His hand slipped inside her coat and found the almost imperceptible swell of her belly. "You make my life better." he declared, his voice sounding thicker than he had expected, "Please stop feeling guilty over something you had no control over. We're going to make this work. All of it."

Felicity gave him a watery smile and took a deep breath through her nose, her hand coming down to cover his, "Okay, I'll do my best."

He leaned in closer, intending to kiss her temple when he heard Jean's voice once again. Straightening with a barely suppressed sigh he turned to see the woman giving him a hard look. Oliver's hand fell from Felicity's abdomen and the action wasn't lost on the lawyer.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to mention there's a pre-trial meeting next week and I think you and Thea should attend."

"Of course,"

She looked between him and Felicity again, "I'll call Ms. Smoak with the details, and to set up that appointment I think we need to have."

He waited until Jean was out of sight before he looked down to see Felicity with her eyes closed. "Hey, you okay?"

"Just working on that not being guilty thing." she said, blinking open bright blue eyes to look at him in concern.

With a sigh he tugged her in for a too brief hug and did brush his lips over her forehead without a care if the entire nineteenth floor of the building stepped out and saw him just then.

Her phone chimed, forcing her to pull away and dig through her bag. They continued down the hall as she swiped it on and then sighed heavily.

"Everything okay?"

She waved a hand dismissively, "It's just Isabel hounding me about why you rescheduled the Board of Visitor's meeting for today."

A wash of irritation flowed through him as he wished for a way that would get Isabel out of his company and his life as quickly as possible. Ever since she'd tried to fire Felicity he'd done what he could to make sure they were in contact only if absolutely necessary.

"I'm sorry, I told her to deal with me about that."

"Oliver, I'm a big girl, I don't need you to fight all my battles for me. I can handle Isabel."

He let out a huffing exhale as he opened the door to the office and ushered her inside. "I know you can, but she makes your life difficult because of me. Is it wrong that I want to make it easier?" his lips lifted in a small smile as he used her own argument against her and he saw the shift of her eyes his direction and the way her mouth opened and shut without saying a word.

His hand found her lower back as they stepped inside the overly modern office and approached the sleek receptionist desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Queen, right this way." a woman moved forward before he could say a word and directed them down a hallway.

He felt Felicity's back go rigid even through the layers of her coat and he silently vowed to do whatever he had to in order to make this as easy a process as possible.

As the woman went to open the door she glanced at Felicity and then at Oliver, "Your assistant is welcome to wait for you in an open office if you'd like, sir."

His jaw tightened as he saw how Felicity's shoulders went back and her head jerked to the side at the woman's words. "That won't be necessary."

She gave him a nod and pushed the door open. He was only slightly surprised to find almost all the senior partners already sitting at the table. With an almost rueful tilt of his head he stepped inside. He couldn't blame them in a way. When their richest client requests an emergency appointment it was in their best interest to show up. And also be able to bill him the highest fees possible.

Some of the people he recognized, but a few he didn't. He hadn't had a need to speak to any of them since he'd returned from the island and been legally brought back to life.

Oliver made a point of helping Felicity with her coat and pulling a chair out for her before he turned his attention to the man at one end of the table. "Gary, good to see you again." Gary Anderson had been his father's lawyer and a frequent guest at their house when he was growing up.

"Oliver, good morning." he said and gave a friendly handshake. "I have to admit we're all a little anxious to find out why you've called this meeting. I hope everything is well."

"Everything is very good. No cause for concern." his eyes caught Felicity who looked anxious and uncomfortable, sitting on the edge of her seat, hands twisting in her lap. "In fact...I'm not sure we need such a...delegation today." he looked back at Gary and held his gaze until the man understood he needed discretion and privacy.

Thankfully it only took a few minutes to diplomatically dispose of more than half the suits that had been in attendance and when it was just Gary and two others he saw Felicity visibly relax. He made quick work of introducing her and took the seat to her left.

"So what's this all about, Oliver?" Gary asked once the door had shut. He couldn't help the way his eyes cut to Felicity, but he was well trained and professional enough not to say a word.

With only the slightest of pauses Oliver glanced at her and when she gave him a slightly tremulous smile he felt like he could go on. "I need to make some changes to my will and the trusts that have been set up, power of attorney, medical directives, and…" he took a deep breath before he continued because this he hadn't mentioned to her at all, "and how my holdings in Queen Consolidated are distributed in the event of my death."

He heard her gasp and turn towards him, "Oliver…" her wide eyes looked huge behind her glasses and all she could do was give him a small shake of her head.

"Oliver...I hope it's alright if I ask if you're well? Do you...anticipate there being a reason why you'd need these changes in place?" Gary asked in concern.

He reached out and captured Felicity's hand in his and asked her to trust him without words. Her eyes slipped shut for just a second and when she opened them she gave him a tiny nod.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about, but...I'm going to be a father in a few short months and I'd like to make sure everything is taken care of before the baby is here." the words felt foreign coming out of his mouth but he managed to get them out without tripping over them and he felt Felicity's surprisingly strong grip as she clung to his fingers.

Gary didn't blink. A broad smile crossed his face and he reached across the table to shake Oliver's hand again. "Congratulations!" he said before looking at Felicity, "I'm assuming congratulations go to Ms. Smoak as well?"

"Ah yes, that's me. The one with the bun in the oven." she said with a nervous laugh, but Gary seemed to find her charming and laughed as well.

"In that case most of this should be straightforward. Right now your will states that in the event of your death your trust and all your holdings revert back to the Queen estate."

"I'd like to have my inheritance passed on to the baby instead. I assume this won't change anything that is already in place for Thea or my mother."

"No. Nothing you do today has any bearing on the trusts set up for your sister." Gary informed him and Oliver nodded. "Now, until the little lord or lady is of age there will need to be a trustee who will oversee the handling of the funds and function as the legal representative if you are not able."

"Felicity. I want Felicity in control of all of that." he said immediately,

Gary put down the pen he was writing with and leveled Oliver with a look, "I understand she's the child's mother, but Oliver...even with the recent hit your family has taken your current net worth is well over thirty billion, all of that would go to your child to be managed by Ms. Smoak."

Felicity shifted in her seat next to him and he didn't know if it was because she was insulted by what Gary was implying or because she was shocked at the number.

"I'm aware of that, Gary. That's why I want her managing it." he said it easily, but there was an undercurrent of steel in his voice that made the lawyer's eyebrows raise. Oliver gave a small chin lift of recognition, "She'll most likely do a better job at it than me anyways."

With that understanding now out of the way they made quick work of the rest. The medical power of attorney took a bit longer because Felicity kept interjecting different contingencies he hadn't thought of and in the end they scrapped it all and made it so that she had full authorization to make any decisions for him she thought were necessary if he wasn't able.

When he asked Gary to set up a separate trust for Felicity on her own she began to protest but he leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "I need you to be taken care of, remember?" She gave him a slightly exasperated look, but didn't say anything else while they worked out the details.

Sensing they were getting to the end Felicity held out a hand and cut a look at him quickly before she addressed Gary, "Is there a chance any of this could be contested?"

"Anything can be contested, that's why there are so many lawyers." he said with a slightly self deprecating grin, "But these documents will be as airtight as possible, Ms. Smoak. You would have to be declared mentally incompetent by a court in order for any of these directives to be changed."

"The last thing we need to deal with is the matter of your controlling interest in Queen Consolidated."

"I'd like all my shares to be given to Felicity."

The silence that descended on the room was almost deafening. Even Gary with all his years of experience wasn't able to control the double take he did at Oliver's words.

It was Felicity that broke the silence. "Gary, would you excuse us please." she said through her teeth, her eyes locked on his like a laser as he looked at her in honest confusion.

She didn't blink as the attorneys left the room, but as soon as the door shut she was on her feet.

"What are you thinking, Oliver?!"

"Felicity, why wouldn't I leave them to you? You're brilliant and you've been right there next to me this entire time. You know just as much about running the company as I do." he countered

"What about your sister? Your mother? Hell, even Walter! You cannot just hand over the keys to a multi-billion dollar company like that!"

She had stepped away from the table and was pacing in front of the large bank of windows.

"God, Oliver, do you know how much responsibility this is?" she said incredulously, the slight break in her voice letting him know how affected she was.

"I think I'm familiar." he hadn't meant to sound so acerbic, but she was beginning to frustrate him.

"Don't get cute with me." she bit back, narrowing her eyes,

"You don't really get what you're doing here." her hand waved across the table where various forms had been left, half filled out, awaiting signatures that would change their lives forever.

"I know I'm trying to protect you! What is so wrong with that?"

"Because, do you know what all of that means." she pointed at the table again as she advanced on him. "It means you die! It means that not only do I have to figure out how to live without you, but I also have to raise our baby by myself. And now you want to drop thirty billion dollars and the controlling shares of Queen Consolidated into my lap as well and I don't know how to even begin to process all of that." her eyes were watery and high points of color dotted her cheeks, but she wasn't backing down.

Guilt rushed through him, competing with his need to make sure she was safe and taken care of. He'd been so focused on the practicalities he'd ignored the realities of what they were discussing. With a sigh he stepped forward and cupped her elbow.

"Hey, I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon." but they both knew all too well that wasn't a promise he could keep.

"With what we do…" her voice broke and she looked away as her hand came up and brushed over his arm. A stark reminder of how close he'd come to death so recently.

He tugged her closer until her forehead pressed into his chest. "I will always do whatever I can to come back." it was the closest to a vow he could give her.

"But...but if I don't then you are the only one I trust to keep everything safe until this one is old enough to decide on their own." he said it as gently as possible as his hand once again found her stomach, but he could hear her sniffling as she tried to hide her tears.

She raised on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek into his. "Why do you have to be so stupid rich?" she mumbled into his neck,

"Sorry," he said with a brittle laugh, "I'll remind you you said that the next time you want me to buy you something, like a satellite."

She pulled back and looked at him in shock, "I can buy a satellite, really?"

It was the complete open, genuine excitement in her face that made him smile. His hand slid into her hair and pulled her in, slanting his mouth over hers before he could fully think out what he was doing.

Felicity let out a muffled shriek, hands gripping his shoulders until her lips began to move under his. This kiss was different somehow. He felt heat flare through him and fill his veins and when she opened her mouth he didn't hesitate to slide his tongue along hers, truly tasting her for the first time. When they broke for air her eyes were dark and half lidded and he could feel his blood thrumming through his body.

His fingers traced over her cheek as he stared down at her, "You're going to be the first woman to bankrupt a billionaire buying tech instead of jewels." he said with a lazy grin

"I like jewels too, never said I didn't." she threw back with a playful smirk,

"Well see then, you'll have depleted all the funds long before you ever have to worry about managing them." as soon as the words were out of his mouth he cringed internally hoping she wouldn't take his remark as flippant.

But she just sat back and gave him a raised eyebrow, "Good then, one less thing to have to deal with." They'd both defaulted to a sort of pseudo gallows humor, but it seemed to be working so he'd stick with it for now. "And besides, you were the one who just spent what probably amounted to a few thousand dollars of your attorneys time so you could kiss me."

"Signs a few papers and she's very concerned about the money all of a sudden."

"You did say I'd do a better job with it than you would." she reminded him with a sparkle in her eye,

"True, and it's also possible we keep them on retainer, which I'm sure pays for Gary's house in Aspen." he tugged her back towards him and dropped his mouth to her ear, "Besides, I consider it money well spent." his lips moved over the shell, and he felt her shiver.

She cleared her throat and patted the front of his jacket before she stepped back and put some distance between them. "Well, you should go tell them to come back in before we've paid for an apartment in Paris or something."

He watched as she took her seat and then crossed to the door, wide grin cracking his face as he wondered if she even knew she'd said 'we'.

A few minutes later the meeting resumed and the inheritance of the shares was settled. With nothing else to discuss they was a long period of quiet while everything was put into order to await their final signatures.

"You know Oliver, I've known you since you were playing hide and seek under your father's desk." Gary said with a nostalgic smile that Oliver returned, "And if he was sitting here in front of me I wouldn't hesitate to be blunt with him."

Oliver spread his hands wide, "Please, don't hesitate with me either."

"In that case. There's one piece of paper that would cut out almost all of this damn paperwork we'll be filing the rest of the day." he said with a slight gleam in his eye.

Oliver looked at him in confusion and quirked an eyebrow in question. "One piece of paper?"

Gary leaned in and then turned to Felicity and gave her a wink, "A marriage certificate."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Happy New Year! Thanks again for the continued and fantastic support for this story. Hope you enjoy the new chapter. Let me know what you think. **

Felicity paled at Gary's words and Oliver heard a rush of white noise fill his head. Marriage. They'd tiptoed around that earlier, and he knew it would be the first thing the press would focus on but somehow having his attorney bring it up like it was the simplest thing in the world was what made it all very very real.

It was actually Felicity that responded. He heard her clear her throat and shift in her seat before she spoke, "I'm sure that would make things easier but...we're going to try and deal with one bombshell at a time."

"Fair enough." Gary said, "But when you're ready for that pre-nup, Oliver, let me know. Although...based on what you've done here I'd be so bold to guess you wouldn't want one. Your father didn't have one either if I recall."

Luckily Gary didn't seem to expect a reply and soon enough they were passing papers back and forth to sign. He tried not to focus on the sight of both their signatures next to each other and what that could signify. If it was something Felicity noticed she was doing a good job hiding it. He looked at her more closely as she signed the last one, the one that gave her controlling interest in the company and saw her hesitate for a second before she scrawled her surprisingly messy signature.

Then they were shaking hands as Gary promised to send over their copies via courier, and Oliver was agreeing to dinner at the mansion in the near future.

"You good?" he asked her as the elevator doors closed and they were finally alone. "You can take the rest of the day if you need to."

"Oliver, stop coddling me. I'm fine." her voice was sharp and echoed in the space. He didn't say a word but turned his head slowly to look at her.

"I'm fine." she repeated after a deep breath, this time sounding more like herself.

He stayed quiet for the rest of the ride but when they made their way across the lobby he took her hand and she squeezed his in response.

Digg was waiting by the main doors to the building. He leveled Oliver with a look and he gave his partner a subtle nod that everything was taken care of.

"Our evil plan has worked, John." Felicity said in a stage whisper that Oliver could clearly hear. Digg just lifted an eyebrow and clasped his hands together in front of him.

"You've got it all then?" he asked conspiratorially, avoiding Oliver's eye but he could see he was fighting not to smile.

"Every last penny." she said, throwing a smirk over her shoulder at him.

"Oh, this was your game plan from the beginning?" Oliver said, playing along as they emerged onto the sidewalk in front of the building.

"Absolutely. Digg was the mastermind. I'm the muscle."

He actually threw his head back and laughed at the image her statement had brought to mind. "The muscle? Really?"

A devious gleam crossed her eyes as she leaned in close, "Well, he's not exactly your type. Then again, neither am I, so it took a bit of work." her smile faltered for a second and he could see her pulling back, wondering if she'd taken the joke too far.

He wrapped an arm around her back to keep her from stepping away and made sure she was looking at him before he spoke, "Types can change."

Her cheeks flushed pink and he took her hand in his, "Lunch? I think I promised you something about lunch."

"We don't have to. We should probably get back, you've got a meeting at three and…" she trailed off as he caught Digg's eye and motioned down the street with his head. Digg nodded and held up his phone, telling him to let him know when they needed to be picked up.

Oliver tucked her hand into his arm, not giving her a chance to protest as they began to walk towards the restaurant he knew was close by.

There were a few heads that turned as they were quickly seated. The manager tried to fawn over him, but after a hard look and a cool word he left them alone.

"That's how it is, huh?" she said with a little nod as she pushed up her glasses and tried to pretend like she was reading the menu. "I mean...I've seen people act like that before with you but...I don't get it. You're rich. You're famous. Now, if they were meeting the other you I'd understand, that would make sense, but this you...you put your pants on just like everyone else, they're just very expensive pants."

"I'm not a big fan of it either if it makes you feel better." he replied, drolly. His life would be infinitely easier if he didn't have to deal with that aspect of being who he was. "But if I recall, our first meeting resulted in what I now know is one of your more endearing traits, but at the time it seemed like you were a bit star struck." he'd said it on purpose to see her eyes spark and the way her mouth dropped open just a bit as her lightning fast brain worked overtime to come up with the perfect reply.

"Star struck? Oliver Queen! I was not star struck by you walking into my office. Surprised? Yes. Which was quickly replaced by astonishment at the utterly ridiculous lie that you expected me to believe just because you cocked your head to the side and grinned." she said quickly, menu falling to the table forgotten.

"It's always worked before." he admitted, as he laid his head to the side just a bit and gave her the grin he'd perfected in boarding school.

She merely lifted an eyebrow and looked at him over the rim of her glasses, "Nice try."

"You can't be resistant to all my charms." he countered and saw her duck her head and pick the menu back up.

When she was quieter longer than he expected he worried he'd made her uncomfortable or said something wrong. "You sure you're okay?"

She began to nod and then stopped, laying the menu back on the table and lifting heavy eyes his direction. "It's just...two weeks ago...everything was different. I mean we were us, but there wasn't an us and now there's a three of us and with all of this today. I keep wondering when the ride is going to stop so I can catch my breath except...I don't think it's going to so I'm just trying to figure out how to make this my new normal. Not that what we do is normal, it's not, but it's normal for me and…" she gave him a half smile at her ramble.

For him decisions were made in an instant. On the island he couldn't second guess and he couldn't look back. That would have been a sure way to get killed. And even now, since he'd returned he walked a fine line between learning from his mistakes and drowning in his memories. Dwelling on the specifics of what he'd lived through was something he avoided at all cost even though he knew he'd never shake those five years. What it had left him with was the ability to make a call and move forward, which is exactly what he had done in this case.

Yes, everything was different and a few weeks ago he could have never imagined he would have signed the papers he'd just signed, but once he was presented with reality and he'd made the decision he wanted the baby and wanted Felicity...that had been it for him. They were his future and he was secure in that. Felicity, of course would be caught up in the weight of what they were doing and he was worried that he was beginning to steamroll over her.

Oliver scrubbed a rough hand over his face and made to lean towards her before he caught himself and pulled back. "Hey, if this is going too fast or if you want to take a step back it's okay. I know I tend to…"

"Crash through life like a bull in a china shop?" she finished for him, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. "I get it. This is how you tackle things. It's how you are at the office with a new merger. It's how you are when you decide to go after someone. And I like plans. And contingencies. And pie graphs of my plans and contingencies. But in this case…" she let out a long breath and sat back in her seat, eyes casting around at the other diners before she looked at him, "In this case...what else are we going to do? It's just overwhelming at times and things keep popping up that we haven't thought of like your mom's trial…"

He sighed and risked taking her hand, "I hope by the time he or she is here that stops happening."

She gave him a smile and a nod. "I have a feeling it's never going to stop."

He let out a dramatic groan and let his head drop, "Don't say that."

The laugh he received in return was worth a few people looking their way at his reaction.

A sparkle of mischief lit her eye, "For instance, what if it's a girl? What happens when she starts dating?"

He froze as a red wave of fury passed through him, erasing everything in his vicinity. Felicity's hand on his knee and her frantic whispered words shook him from him thoughts. Thoughts of a gangly teenager wearing heels for the first time as she carefully made her way down the steps, more make up than he was comfortable with painted over her face, and her mother's penchant for short skirts.

"Oliver! Oh my god, I was kidding. That is so far off from now it's not even funny, and it could be a boy, and you really need to put that knife down before you draw more attention to us!" she hissed at him, hand dropping to wrap around his wrist as he looked down to see the knife clenched in his fist. The knife he hadn't even known he'd picked up.

He laid it back carefully, "Sorry, apparently I don't like that idea." he said with a bit of a growl in his voice.

Felicity gave him a sympathetic smile and began to rise from her seat. "I'll be right back. This bladder getting squashed thing is already getting old."

His eyes followed her as she made her way to the restroom, leaving him with an empty table and a too fresh picture in his head of a teenage daughter.

He didn't even realize he'd lost track of time or his surroundings until he felt her fingers trail across his shoulders and down his left arm, squeezing the inside of his elbow as she made to sit back in her seat.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, as he sat upright with a jolt and glanced around the room quickly, taking note of everything he'd missed in those few minutes.

"Yeah, sorry." he said huskily, angry at himself for becoming distracted in a public place. He knew better than to let his guard down.

"Did the waiter come by for the order? I'm starving."

He could tell she was purposely changing the subject for his benefit and a warmth spread through his chest.

"No, not yet."

As if summoned their waiter appeared and Oliver had a hard time hiding his surprise at the amount of food that Felicity ordered.

She didn't blink as she calmly took a sip of her water when they were alone again. "I have an appetite again." she said by way of explanation. "You don't even want to know everything I ate yesterday."

"Good, I don't like you feeling sick." he hated how tired and pale she'd been recently,

"It hasn't been that bad, but I'm glad it seems to be over. Although from what I've been reading it's just going to get worse." she said offhand as she grabbed a roll from the basket the waiter had just delivered and began to butter it with gusto.

"Worse?"

She nodded with a grimace, "Oh yeah, you don't even want to know. I've been reading a lot. And between the heart burn, and the swelling, and the not being able to roll over, and forgoing shoes that need to be tied, and the feet in the ribs, and...things I'm pretty sure your five years on the island didn't begin to prepare you for...let's just say I'm not sure signing all those papers comes close to being a fair deal."

Oliver sat back stunned. He'd never really considered what a woman went through when she was pregnant. Why would he? But now that it was Felicity and his baby he suddenly found himself interested. "What have you been reading? That sounds...horrible."

She gave him a thin smile, "I don't think most of that is until the very very end. I highly doubt I'll feel like that for months."

"You'll let me know though...if I can do something...anything." he was just beginning to realize how powerlessl he was just then.

Her cool fingers slid under the edge of his sleeve and wrapped around his wrist, "I'll let you know. Promise." she said quietly,

He let out a semi-frustrated sigh and slid his hand back so he could tangle his fingers with hers. "I'm not good at…"

"Waiting?" she replied with a smirk. "I know. But I think you're going to have to take the slow path on this one. You don't have much of a choice."

At his silence he felt her fingers tighten over his. "Good thing you don't have to do it alone."

The corner of his mouth lifted at her words, "That is good."

They spent the rest of their lunch talking easily. He found out she had another doctor's appointment in a weeks time and that she'd made sure his schedule was clear.

He brought up the meeting they'd need to have with Jean and she agreed it was something they couldn't ignore. But the more people who found out the bigger the risk that the story would break outside of their control.

The entire trip back he considered how to approach the PR team. Wondering if he should let them do their job and announce it as they saw fit, or go in with a list of requirements and guidelines for them to go by. It was two thirty in the afternoon and he felt exhausted.

The closer they got to the office the more nervous Felicity seemed to get. He looked over to see her going back and forth between working on her phone and staring anxiously out the window.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing Digg's eyes shift quickly to the rear view mirror at his words.

She shifted her gaze towards him and tried to give him a bright smile that failed to reach her eyes. "Sorry, just...I know you want to start being seen, out and in public, but...I don't know if I want that at the office. I just...it's been hard enough going from the IT department to being your EA. People already think I got the job for other reasons. Once this comes out the truth won't matter to them and I can deal with that. So no need to get all growly right now." she said while lifting a hand to soothe down the front of his lapel. "But...I think I'd like to still present a professional front if that's okay."

He scrubbed a rough hand over his face and sat back heavily. He hated that she had to be the one to bear the brunt of the talk. For him this sort of behavior was expected. Oliver Queen having an affair with his secretary and getting her pregnant? Par for the course. He'd get thumped on the back and congratulated while Felicity would be ignored and whispered about behind her back.

"Yes, it's okay. It's more than okay. And I think what you're saying...it'll help in how we direct PR to make the announcement. I want them to do their best to make it seem like this wasn't some...cheap, meaningless thing all the tabloids expected from me."

"Thank you," she whispered and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She wiped them away hastily. "Damn hormones."

When they arrived back at the office Digg pulled into the parking garage, and other than helping her out of the car he didn't touch her for the entire walk through the lobby or the ride up the elevator even though they were the only ones on it. She gave him a side eyed smirk and he expected her to say something but she kept quiet.

The doors opened on the top floor and Felicity immediately made to go to the left and not straight ahead to their offices. "Sorry, bathroom. Again." she said with an eye roll and disappeared around the corner.

Oliver watched her until she was out of sight and pulled the glass doors with a grin on his face. However, as soon as he saw who was stalking out of his office the grin vanished.

Isabel Rochev looked like a woman on a mission. The crease between her brows so deep it looked painful and he saw her draw a deep breath before she began talking.

"I actually had myself convinced that the dumb, playboy thing you projected was just an act but...imagine my surprise when I was proven wrong."

"Isabel, lovely to see you as always." he said icily, moving past her to enter his own space, not having any idea what she was finding fault with now.

"Did you really think you could keep it quiet? That it wasn't obvious to anyone who bothered to look closely? And believe me, since I stepped foot in this building I have been keeping my eye on you and your _assistant_."

At the mention of Felicity Oliver felt a cold fist begin to tighten in his gut. Isabel knew. Somehow she knew Felicity was pregnant and that the baby was his.

Oliver drew himself to his full height and schooled his features, hoping he hadn't already let anything show.

"Really Isabel, I'd thought you'd be above listening to water cooler gossip."

She scoffed, and crossed her arms over her middle, "Nice try. Your secretary is pregnant and it's yours. Don't try and deny it."

He was quiet for a second too long as her statement made him reel. "You may be too stupid to keep it zipped and covered but you won't take this company down with you. Do you have any idea the damage it would do to the already horrible image we have. The image we've been trying to crawl out from under for months and that you will ruin in an instant if this news breaks. Investors will be leaving in droves if they think the company is being run by an irresponsible, man whore like you!"

"Isabel, you have no idea what you're talking about!" he barked, unwilling to listen to this woman of all people talk about him or Felicity in such a way.

Movement in the outer office caught his eye and he turned just as Felicity pushed her way through the door, her questioning gaze shifting from Isabel and back to him in a flash, asking a thousand questions in a second.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Queen?" Felicity asked as she entered the office, a hard look on her face as she took in Isabel.

"You can cut out the 'Mr. Queen' line, unless you two use that during your many dalliances. I'm on to both of you. I was just telling Oliver his behavior is beyond inexcusable, but your complete disregard for how your actions impact this company is frankly astounding, unless this was your plan all along, which I suspect it was." Isabel had advanced on Felicity until she was almost toe to toe with her.

"Oliver…" Felicity said warily, but didn't take her eyes off of the other woman,

"She knows," Oliver said with a tight voice,

He watched as understanding crashed over her, her face falling and paling at the impact of his words.

Isabel was watching as well and timed her next reply to do the most damage, "I'm sure you thought you'd shake your blonde hair, and wear your short skirts and capture the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company by trapping him with a baby. But this is not just his company to lose and I will not stand by and let you blackmail him."

Felicity looked as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her and before Oliver could step in and say anything in their defense Isabel continued.

"I'm sure there is a monetary amount we can all agree on that will convince you to make this...mistake disappear and guarantee your silence. It will be enough for you to move anywhere outside of Starling City and we'll all be better off for it."


End file.
